Welcome to my review of Outside By Ragnar Jónasson. Having never previously read Ragnar Jonasson’s books, this one looked great. It has been translated from Icelandic to English. This is a highly unsettling and chilling mystery set in Iceland’s eastern highlands.
In a deadly Icelandic snowstorm, four friends seek shelter in an abandoned hunting lodge.
But nothing can prepare them for what’s inside.
Forced to spend a long and terrifying night in the cabin, they watch intently and silently.
Just as they themselves are being watched.
As the night darkens, and old secrets spill into the light, it’s soon clear that what they’ve discovered in the cabin is far from the only mystery lurking there.
Nor the only thing to be afraid of . . .
Ragnar Jónasson is an international number one bestselling author who has sold over three million books in thirty-four countries worldwide. He was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, where he also works as an investment banker and teaches copyright law at Reykjavík University.
He has previously worked on radio and television, including as a TV news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, and, from the age of seventeen, has translated fourteen of Agatha Christie’s novels. He is currently writing a novel with the Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir. His critically acclaimed international bestseller The Darkness is soon to be a major TV series.
Four university friends, Armann, Gunnlauger, Daniel and Helena, reunite for a hunting trip, looking for Ptarmigan. Unfortunately, the weather takes a turn for the worst, and they get caught in a deadly snow blizzard and have to find shelter in a remote hut. Inside they make a terrifying discovery. The story unfolds from here with secrets emerging, tensions escalating, and the four friends begin to unravel with their increasing anxiety and paranoia. While this only covers one night, it’s a very long night indeed!
Janasson does a brilliant job of creating a feeling of claustrophobia, and a disconcerting atmosphere as the friends are cut off from the outside world and just have to deal with their situation until morning comes and the storm hopefully clears.
I found the pacing of this book quite varied; some parts flew by while others seemed to drag a little. However, there are elements of terror which are particularly well portrayed, especially when it comes to Gunnlauger.
The characters are reasonably well developed, and from the beginning, we see that they don’t have a straightforward friendship; instead, there is a global dislike of Gunnlauger and plenty of secrets. However, aside from Armann, I am unsure if they really want to be there. None of them appears to even enjoy hunting if they have ever tried it before, so it is a bit of a mystery as to why they are even there. They are all flawed characters, and the bone-chilling cold alongside the terrifying situation brings out the worst in them all.
I didn’t enjoy the ending too much. I found it too inconclusive for my liking; there was too much ambiguity with hints of future repercussions.
Overall, it was a gripping story full of a mixture of emotions that you imagine yourself in a similar situation feeling. The stress and feelings of terror are palpable, possibly better than I have read elsewhere before, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a complete boom for me.
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| Title | Outside |
| Author | Ragnar Jónasson |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | eARC |
| Page Count | 352 Pages |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Publisher | Penguin |
| Release Date | 28th April 2022 |
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