I’m pleased to say I am part of the book tour for Kalmann by Joachim Schmidt. Thanks to Random Things Tours and Bitter Lemon Press for my copy of the book to take part.
Kalmann is the self-appointed Sheriff of Raufarhöfn. Day by day, he treks the wide plains which surround the almost deserted village, hunts Arctic foxes and lays bait in the sea — to catch the gigantic Greenland sharks he turns into the Icelandic fermented delicacy, hákarl. There is nothing anyone need worry about. Kalmann has everything under control.
Inside his head, however, the wheels sometimes spin backwards. One winter, after he discovers a pool of blood in the snow, the swiftly unfolding events threaten to overwhelm him. But he knows that his native wisdom and pure-hearted courage will see him through. There really is no need to worry. How can anything go wrong with Kalmann in charge?
He knows everything a man needs to know about life – well almost.
As soon as the invitation to join this tour dropped into my inbox, I immediately accepted. A Bitter Lemon Press book always does this to me. I have a love for translated fiction, which has grown over the last few years. Bitter Lemon Press is a publisher that releases excellent translated fiction books so I was looking forward to reading this.
Self appointed sheriff, Kalmann, of Raufarhöfn, a small town in the north of Iceland, discovers a puddle of blood and just returns back home to watch TV. Nothing unusual in his world, but there is a missing man, could it be coincidence…or not? Kalmann, is a 34 year old, nuerodiverse man who hunts Arctic foxes and catches Greenland sharks for his living. Taught everything he knows in life, by his grandfather. He finds himself being taken in for questioning by the police about the missing man.
Kalmann is a man who is a complex character, I enjoyed my time spent with him. I found him rather like a little gem. A heartwarming surprise amongst the ‘stones’ that were the people who lived in Raufarhöfn. I took this man, with his mental health issues and true grit,to my heart. I rooted for him all the way through, hoping against hope that all would be well.
The sense of place was so well done. I had no problems visualising everything as it happened. The way this story is translated made it all the more engrossing. It does make me wonder just how beautiful this book will be in it’s original form.
A very original, funny and touching crime thriller. If you love translated crime fiction with plenty of heart, I recommend this book
Author Bio
Joachim B. Schmidt, born in 1981, emigrated from Switzerland to Iceland in 2007. He is the author of several novels and short stories and is also a journalist and columnist. Joachim, who is Swiss and Icelandic, lives in Reykjavik with his wife and their two children.
Jamie Lee Searle
a well-known translator from German and Portuguese into English. She has translated novels by Urs Faes, Anna Kim, Marc-Uwe Kling, Christoph Ribbat and many others. She lives in Winchester in the UK.
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 