Book Review | The Jealousy Man and Other Stories by Jo Nesbø

A collection of short stories from one of the masters of Nordic noir. Dark tales of vengeance, justice, and love gone wrong in societies where everyone would do anything to survive.

… ever since I have had nightmares that involve falling and drowning. Actually, on some night the dream seems like something warm and pleasant, a sleep in which everything painful ceases to exist. Who says you can’t dream of dying?

(The Jealousy Man)

The Jealousy Man and Other Stories is a collection divided into two parts: Jealousy and Power. I have not read all of the author’s previous work but I’m familiar with his successful series featuring the enigmatic investigator, Harry Hole. I expected the stories here to be in a similar vein but surprisingly only one features a detective character. The others are more focused on relationships and human nature. The storylines are complex and vicious, not shying away from the darkest sides of humanity. The characters are forced to make tough choices and face the consequences of those actions. Innocence people get caught up and pay the price. I really liked the dystopian and sci-fi elements in Part 2.

However, I found many of the stories repetitive because they are mostly about men being obsessed with women. Only two out of the eleven stories feature female protagonists. Some of the references are outdated; for example, the r-slur is used a few times. There’s a particularly horrific animal death. Even children are not spared in this collection and that can be hard to get through. But the stories are generally emotionally resonant and provide an insight into the characters’ motivation and decisions. There’s plenty of philosophical musings that can be a turnoff for some readers but for the most part, I did enjoy it.

Here are my favourite stories from the book – The Jealousy Man where a detective investigates a missing person case and stumbles into a complicated relationship between two brothers that reminds him of his past. The Line features a retail worker who has a solution for people cutting in line at her store. Rat Island is an apocalyptic nightmare where a man seeks justice in the aftermath of an attack and crosses paths with the woman responsible. In The Cicadas, a man and his best friend fall for the same woman, opening the door to a parallel dimension. In Black Knight, an assassin is targeted by an enemy who vows to destroy him in the most painful way possible.

The Jealousy Man is a complicated collection focusing on the question of morality and vengeance. If you’re looking for something dark that also makes you think, give this a try.

CW: rape, suicide, child abuse, animal death, mistreatment of a disabled person

About the author: Jo Nesbø

Translated by Robert Ferguson

Photo by Larm Rmah