The Lake of the Dead

A Norwegian classic. I have been living in Norway for over 10 years now, but I have read an embarrassingly small amount of Norwegian literature (largely just Jo Nesbø and Asbjørnsen & Møe). The Lake of the Dead is probably the most well known Norwegian horror novel (Norway really doesn't have much in the way of a literary horror scene), but other than a very limited printing in the UK close to when it was first published has largely unavailable in English (and that early translation suffered from a degree of anglicization of names and idioms). This new English translation is a good chance to explore this Scandi classic, so my partner picked me up a copy.

First things first, this is very much a novel of its times. There is a general dismissiveness towards women through large parts of the novel, but that is a feature of many novels from this period. In many ways, this one is better than most, allowing one of the heroic characters to be a woman. The novel leans heavily on psychoanalysis, which gets a bit dry at times, but allows for an intriguing level of ambiguity. The story focusses on a myth around a cabin which is apparently haunted by the ghost of a murderer. The main protagonists are largely dismissive of this idea, but the possibility of supernatural influences is increasingly opened up as the story progresses.

The novel crosses over into the realm of crime novel in many places, but its ambiguity towards the supernatural separates it from the more standard crime fair of the time. Andre Bjerke is obviously well read and makes strong allusions to other literary works throughout the novel. An intriguing read, which if read with it historical context in mind is worth a gander