Book Review: Kin by Snorri Kristjansson
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Series: Book 1 of Helga Finnsdottir
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books (March 8, 2018)
Length: 352 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I’ve wanted to read Snorri Kristjansson for a while, and I’ve had his Valhalla Saga on my reading list ever since I first heard it described as a Viking historical fantasy replete with longships plowing the glorious waves and lots of bloody axe battles. So when I found out about Kin, the first book of his Helga Finnsdottir series, I was a little surprised at the departure. No epic clashes on the battlefield here, nor bloodstained tales of Vikings burning, raiding, and pillaging their enemies. Instead, what we get is this rather moody and domestic little murder mystery taking place on a quiet 10th century Icelandic homestead, and well, I can’t say I’ve ever read anything of its kind before. It’s undoubtedly an unusual direction to take when it comes to the topic of Vikings, but I can’t say it wasn’t interesting or refreshing. In fact, I had a very good time with the novel and found it to be a fun and engaging read.
At the center of Kin is a somewhat dysfunctional family headed by retired Viking warlord Unnthor Reginsson. He and his wife Hildigunnar have four grown children who have left home and are establishing their own lives and families, but they have also adopted a girl named Helga who still lives with them. Along with Unnthor’s right hand man Jaki and his son Einar, Helga helps out around the farm. On any average day, it is just the five of them, but very soon, things are about to get a lot more crowded and busy. Unnthor has invited his children back for a reunion, and the book begins as, one by one, they arrive at the farm with their families.
First is eldest son Karl, who is short-tempered and aggressive, arriving with his wife Agla and their teenaged daughter Gytha. Then there’s second son Bjorn, who is a giant of a man but much less volatile than his older brother, though the two of them have never gotten along. Bjorn and his wife Thyri have a son, Volund, whom they believe to be a bit simple-minded. Next is clever and feisty Jorunn, Unnthor and Hildigunnar’s only daughter by birth. She arrives with her husband Sigmar, a Swede and hence viewed by the rest of the family as an outsider. And last but not least is youngest son Aslak, considered the meekest of the siblings, who arrives with his thorny wife Runa and their two little children Bragi and Sigrun.
At first, the house is full of cheer and joy with the family all under one roof again, but unfortunately the mood doesn’t last. Soon, bitter resentment and old rivalries are brought to light again, causing plenty of tension and fighting. Karl is confrontational with his crude and offensive ways, and Bjorn, ever competitive with his brother, was never one to let him get away with it. Jorunn and Sigmar are crafty and manipulative, keeping mostly to themselves. Aslak, who just wants to build a happy home is nonetheless unhappy with his family’s situation. And in the middle of this is Helga, watching Unnthor and Hildigunnar trying in vain to settle their children and smooth over conflicts. As if that weren’t enough, all of them have also heard of rumors that their father is sitting on a big hoard of hidden treasure, and each one wants a piece of it. It’s only a matter of time until this uneasy situation boils over, and sure enough, one morning Helga is awoken by a terrified scream to discover one of the family members dead, murdered in the night.
It’s true there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but if you enjoy family drama, then this will be your type of book. I suppose that’s what drew me in. This isn’t a fast-paced story by any means and there’s not much action to speak of, and yet I found myself hanging on every word. First of all, throw all your preconceived notions about family reunions out the window—this isn’t going to be anything like you expect. It isn’t a gathering full of laughter or happy tears from seeing your kin again after so many years apart. In contrast, they’re all ready to jump down each other’s throats at the slightest provocation, and keeping an eye out to take advantage of any signs of weakness. In fact, it’s crossed my mind to wonder if anyone in this strange little family actually like one another. The time and place of this novel is a whole different world from what we know, so don’t be expecting the characters to fall into conventional family roles or for any of them to act in a certain way, because chances are, you’ll be surprised. And this feeling of not being able to predict anything is what kept me turning the pages.
In many ways, a book like Kin shouldn’t have worked for me, but it did. Kristjansson presents a very strong sense of place and the atmosphere is underscored by the isolation of the setting. While there are a limited number of suspects, the narrative is no less intense or troubling because we know it had to be someone in the family—and kin or not, the justice meted out will be swift and merciless. I also loved the prose as it is very readable and easy to get into, and trust me, you’ll appreciate that you won’t have to struggle with the writing style once you realize how many characters there are to keep track of, not to mention all the possible motives.
All things considered, I’m glad I finally got to read Kin. The author’s unique handling of Vikings was a pleasant surprise for me, and I found I greatly enjoyed the story’s compelling blend of historical fiction and crime mystery, so if you’re a fan of these genres you should take a look. As the novel’s protagonist, Helga Finnsdottir was a joy to follow and I look forward to seeing her again in the series’ next book, Council.
The BiblioSanctum 
Vikings and cozy mystery – sounds like a blast! 😀 I definitely need to read something by Kristjansson – heard much good about his books and with a name like that you just can’t write badly 😉
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Yup, if I’m to read a Viking story, I’d definitely pick up the one by the guy named Snorri 😀
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I’ve always been curious about this one but I have to admit, I have a hard time wrapping my head about it being a quieter mystery rather than an action past Viking saga. I may just find myself giving this one a chance eventually, especially after reading your review.
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It is very cool and different in that sense! Because you just never expect a quieter Viking story!
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This sounds pretty unique! I love family drama and a bunch of hot headed Vikings stuck in a house together sounds like a great set up😁
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It was exactly like that! Vikings are vikings no matter what genre of story you put them in, lol.
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I don’t think it’s an author I knew about but I should try as well
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If you like atmospheric historical mysteries, sure thing! 😀
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Yay you liked it too! Yes it was so fun and light and Viking, this to me was real Viking
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Agreed, the author captured the essence of it so well!
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Awesome review!
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Thank you!
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Oh, this was on my radar back around release, though I didn’t really expect it to be so much of a murder mystery
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Me neither, I only knew of it as a Viking story at first, but then when the first reviews starting coming in and I found out that it was a murder mystery, only then did my interest shoot right up.
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You had me at Iceland, Mogsy. Maybe that’s very predictable of me. XD Still, the story sounds really interesting, from both plot and historical perspectives. I don’t typically read crime mysteries, but I would definitely give this one a chance. It just sounds so unique!
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Not too many stories set in Iceland, so if you’re looking for them, definitely put this one on the list! The author captures the sense of place so well too!
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I remember taking note of this book when it was first reviewed on the blogosphere, but unfortunately it fell to the wayside because of the huge number of other titles competing with it. Now that my interest about Vikings has been rekindled thanks to my following the Netflix series, I would very much welcome learning something more about the… home culture of these (in)famous raiders. Thank you so much for reminding me! 🙂
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Ah, I need to check out that TV series at some point too! 😀
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I enjoyed this one too – particularly the fact it’s so unusual – and the sense of place that you mentioned. I felt like the stark and brutal way of life was just so well incorporated. I’m interested to see what happens next.
Lynn 😀
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Agreed! I enjoyed it because of its unusual nature…but also because it was also done so well. I never would have thought it would work.
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I kind of love historical mysteries — it’s been a long time since I’ve read any though. Might have to pick this one up, great review!
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Yeah, this one’s pretty unusual, but if you’re looking for an outside-of-the-box historical mystery, it might do the trick 🙂
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Vikings fascinate me. I really need to watch the TV series and the author’s Valhalla saga sounds like it might be my kind of thing!
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Yeah, the TV series is on my list too. I like Viking stories, it’s too bad I don’t have the time to watch all the shows I want!
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I’m really fascinated by Vikings and this sounds like a very unique take! I definitely want to check it out. Excellent review!
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Yeah, stories about Vikings pillaging and raiding are a dime a dozen…but when else can you read a Viking murder mystery, hmm? 😀
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A Viking Historical Fantasy. Well, that sounds interesting.
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It really was! I love checking out books that are different, and this one worked really well.
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