After a brilliant run of perusing non-fiction books in the past weeks, I thought I would go back to reading crime thrillers starting with a new Swedish bestseller, a dark and brutal account of the Stockholm underworld, by Jens Lapidus, an author new to me.
Easy Money (2006) is a crude read not so much due to its translation per se but mainly because I am unfamiliar with the criminal argot used by a certain population of people. I wonder whether reading the book in its original language would help my comprehension, that is, if I can read Swedish? Somehow I doubt it.
A new genre in Swedish literature - Swedish noir thriller - and again new to me, it is packed with an overflow of testosterone and written in a clipped and minimalistic way. The writing style can be described as cine-animated and graphic, much like how movies are made in this day and age. It is fast-paced and unrelenting.
I have somewhat enjoyed the book but am unsure whether I would go on to read the other two in the trilogy. Basically, it is a gangster thriller where the troika of drugs, violence and sex is the basis for the plot. Nevertheless, what I am most impressed with is that Lapidus writes from his experiences as a criminal defence lawyer and there is a brilliant gritty story in Easy Money if you can read noir like water off a duck's back but it cannot deter from the fact that, truth be told, the book is too uncompromising and raw for me. Notwithstanding, I also like the fact that the author wrote the book based on the baddies' point of view in which they are human and which adds a lot of character and panache to the storyline and lets the reader follow the story from the other side of the track so to speak. There is nothing unrealistic about the novel and that is only half of the attraction.
Lapidus shows a lot of promise and potential as a new writer. His writing style is distinct and unique. I would keep an eye on him regardless of my initial doubts. The faint-hearted would best avoid Lapidus' books. Easy Money is not so easy after all!
Lapidus shows a lot of promise and potential as a new writer. His writing style is distinct and unique. I would keep an eye on him regardless of my initial doubts. The faint-hearted would best avoid Lapidus' books. Easy Money is not so easy after all!
About the author: Jens Lapidus is a highly successful criminal defence lawyer. His experiences with some of the country's most notorious criminals have made this debut novel - Easy Money (2006) - the fastest-selling and most talked about thriller in a decade. Easy Money is part of the Stockholm noir trilogy. The other two books in the trilogy are Never Fuck Up (2008) and Life Deluxe (2011). He lives in Stockholm with his wife and two children.
About the translator: Astri von Arbin Ahlander is a writer and translator from Stockholm, Sweden. She cofounded the popular interview project The Days of Yore (www.thedaysofyore.com), which features interviews with successful artists about the time before their breakthroughs. Easy Money is her first novel translation.
About the translator: Astri von Arbin Ahlander is a writer and translator from Stockholm, Sweden. She cofounded the popular interview project The Days of Yore (www.thedaysofyore.com), which features interviews with successful artists about the time before their breakthroughs. Easy Money is her first novel translation.
I will let Lapidus tell us what his book is about:
Easy Money was successfully adapted into a film and premiered in Sweden back in January 2010:
Rating: 4/5
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