The Jealousy Man: From the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling king of gripping twists

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La isla de las ratas es el primero de la parte sobre el poder, un relato más largo tipo apocalíptico, un poco Mad Max, con una anarquía y grupos de pandillas amenazando por las calles. Me gustó, en especial el final pues dentro de todo el protagonista mantuvo su brújula moral de siempre, pero fue capaz de obtener lo que quería. Es un relato un poco más duro que los otros, más cruel y frustrante. Maculadora estuvo bien, interesante por el tema de la vida eterna y el costo que esta podría tener, volvemos a tener un protagonista con un fuerte código moral que se mantiene firme a sus principios, a pesar de traspasar otros.

Maybe it was a bit hasty of me to just give up everything like that. After all, she was a wealthy young woman, good for fourteen million, whereas I am a debt-ridden photographer with a little too much faith in his own business skills. Simone supported my idea of starting my own studio along with six other photographers. If not financially then at least morally. Ovo je njegova prva zbirka kratkih priča, od kojih su neke doslovno kratke - tek desetak ili dvadesetak stranica, dok su druge nešto duže i opširnije, poput naslovnog Stručnjaka za ljubomoru, koji je najduža priča u zbirci. Jo Nesbø is one of my favourite authors and the quality of his writing is apparent in many of these but not all in my opinion. I definitely prefer his full length novels all of which I highly rate. However, this is very different collection with some unusual plots and so if you enjoy short stories then you may like this. I put down my coffee cup and take a Twist from the dish of chocolates. Coconut. Not my favourite, but perfectly acceptable. Al fin y al cabo, la muerte no deja de ser lo más serio. Ese enemigo que siempre halla nuestro rastro y del que nos pasamos la vida hyyendo, pero que tarde o temprano nos encontrará, es solo cuestión de tiempo"

Robert Ferguson

This collection of short stories by the talented Jo Nesbø is divided into two themes. The first centres on jealousy and part two around power. I enjoy the first group much better than the second as there’s a really good mix of stories and the theme is evident throughout. The first entitled London is outstanding and my favourite story as I love the clever twist at the end which makes me smile, albeit wryly. The second The Jealousy Man which gives the collection it’s title, has a great premise of sibling rivalry and how that manifests itself into jealousy. It is a bit on the long side with some digressions but it is a clever story of parallel lines. I also like The Line which is short and sharp with the perfect revenge for a line jumper. In Trash we have an angry and jealous refuse disposal officer who really cleans up after himself and The Confession has a particularly yummy Twist! The latter really appeals to my rather dark sense of humour!! This was my first Jo Nesbø book and I enjoyed most of his stories and his dark humour and plot twists. His Harry Hole novel's are meant to be excellent so I look forward to diving into them one day. My absolute favorites were London, The Jealousy Man and The Line, which incidentally were all in Part One. Part Two had a more dystopian feel to the stories and that isn’t really my thing, though I did like Cicadas of all the stories in this section. But you didn’t, officer. You didn’t manage to connect the poison to the remains of chocolate you found in her stomach because the chocolate had already melted and dissolved. So I began to worry that Henrik Bakke might get away with it.’ Balli knows this because he has lived through the jealousy cycle: disbelief, despair, rage, self-contempt and, finally, depression. He discusses a particular situation in which a woman he loved put him through this and believes she made him what he has become in his professional life --- the self-proclaimed Jealousy Man. The case, in Balli’s mind, comes down to the twin brothers battling over a woman. He maintains that the rage of jealousy is like love; it’s a madness that can make people do things they normally would never dream of doing.

Confesión y Odd fueron mis favoritos de la primera parte. Confesión es interesante en su construcción, la voz narrativa del protagonista el cómo va hilando sus pensamientos y el cómo se ve arrastrado en confesar lo que hizo. Es predecible, sí, pero el cómo estuvo contado fue lo mejor. Por otro lado, con Odd no me vi venir el final, creo que es el que tenía menos marcado la temática de los celos de este grupo, era más sobre la vida del autor, el costo de este "genio creativo" y el precio por ser capaz de escribir lo que se quiere escribir. Por último, El pendiente, no me resultó tan predecible como los otros, similar a los relatos mencionados lo más interesante tenía que ver con la narración del protagonista y el cómo hiló sus pensamientos para llegar a un desenlace que no se veía venir tan claro. Los primeros relatos ( Londres, El hombre celoso y La cola) se sintieron como algo conocido, tenían un giro predecible que no les quitó que fueran entretenidos. Toda la construcción de El hombre celoso estuvo bien hecha, pero como dije, era predecible y eso le quitaba un poco de potencia al final. Basura resultó interesante, aunque principalmente por el tono y la voz narrativa, la forma en que el mismo protagonista no sabía bien lo que sucedió y el cómo todo se fue develando, admito que esperé un poco más del final, pero estuvo bien. You found those little bottles of cyanide solution in the cellar, didn’t you, officer?’ The chocolate melts on my tongue, and I can feel the hard centre against my soft palate. ‘One was missing. I took that with me when I was thrown out. Not really sure why. I was pretty far down, maybe I had some idea of doing away with myself. You make hydrocyanic acid from cyanide, but you probably know that?’ I can feel the springs beneath the sofa cover against my thighs. An old rococo sofa, her style. Had he had her on this sofa, her new guy, the architect? He moved in just a few weeks after I moved out. For all I know he was screwing her on the sofa while I was still living in the house. The officer doesn’t ask me to explain what I mean when I say I know what they’re thinking, so I go ahead on my own initiative:Porque he estado allí. Porque nuestros celos eliminan las diferencias entre tú y yo, los celos logran que nuestros comportamientos empiecen a parecerse más allá de las clases sociales, del género, la religión, la formación y el coeficiente intelectual, la cultura o la educación. Del mismo modo que los drogadictos más enganchados, todos somos muertos vivientes dando tumbos por las calles impulsados por un solo afán: llenar ese gran agujero negro que tenemos en nuestro interior" I think about adding a light laugh, but instead – and quite unexpectedly – the little anecdote gives rise to an emotional avalanche. I feel something swelling in my throat. I’ve no intention of saying anything at all but then I hear my own tormented whisper: In “London,” the standout first story in “Part One – Jealousy,” we have a mental showdown between two characters who are found aboard a plane together. A man and a woman are seated on the flight, not by accident, and I had to grin when one of them refers to the Patricia Highsmith classic, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. One claims to be petrified of flying, while the other confesses to hoping the plane crashes because they want to die. Are we being victimized by an unreliable narrator, or is something entirely different going on? The dialogue is so razor-sharp that you simply will not have time to think too deeply about the characters. You just want to find out if they both make it to London alive. You’re thinking she wasn’t the type to take her own life. And you’re absolutely right. Don’t ask me how, officer, but I know she was murdered.’

From the Jealousy Man: "That it was true what they said, a confession is a story that's just waiting for an audience."

Customer reviews

The writing is typical Nesbø, which, for those who have read some of his work, will know is steeped in symbolism and a deeper analysis of the emotional being. Hidden meanings and ideas permeate the narrative, such that the reader may play close attention to get all that Nesbø presents in his writing. With stories that vary in length, it is even more important to pay attention, as there are times when a piece is over before it really begins, meaning the reader will miss what is being presented. With Nesbø’s characteristic gift for outstanding atmosphere and gut-wrenching revelations, The Jealousy Manconfirms that he is at the peak of his abilities. Until she met me Simone’s life was meaningless and directionless, she was on the skids. On the surface everything seemed fine – the looks, the money, the so-called friends – but there was no substance, no direction, you understand? I call it the terror of things. Because things can be lost, and the more things you have the more afraid you are of losing them. She was drowning in her own affluence, she couldn’t breathe. I came along and gave her space. Gave her air.’ Long a fan Jo Nesbø’s writing, I was curious about this collection of short stories and novellas. While I have come to love Harry Hole and how he emerges as an energetic character, as well as Nesbø’s standalone novels, I was not sure about handling a slew of the author’s creations in a single publication. This collection of stories is not only varied from the crime thrillers that many readers have come to love, but also offers a richness in its presentation, such that there is something for everyone. A great effort by Jo Nesbø, which is sure to appeal to many fans of his gritty writing.