The remote Icelandic fishing village of Skalar is the chilling setting for this interesting blend of ghostly goings on with more than a hint of of a murderous event thrown in.
In response to an advert for a teacher vacancy and in search of a change of scene and a need to escape memories connected to her Fathers death Una takes up the post.
The close knit community is determined to keep itself that way and Una finds most of them a somewhat unfriendly bunch. However, she feels a need to see the contract through and with only two pupils it shouldn't be that hard should it?
Then Una begins to have disturbing dreams and feels a presence in the flat. The spooky element adds to the chill factor as you imagine living in a place where darkness takes up the whole of winter.
Interwoven in this tale falls what appears to be a duel time frame murder, assailant unknown.
The two stories collide in the final few chapters when Una discovers the secrets held by the villagers which finally makes her feel one of them.
An interesting and reasonably enjoyable read although I found the character of Una a bit too unquestioning and subservient at times, particularly so when she finally begins to challenge the villagers actions.

4,5 ⭐️

"Teacher wanted at the edge of the world"

What an appealing advertisement, right? It is for Una who, unhappy with her life in Reykjavík decides to take the position as teacher of the two only kids in the village (with a population of ten, two kids is not a bad ratio 😅). And I won't say more about it cause I think it's best to go in blind.

This was not your typical fast paced thriller full of twists and turns but it managed to grab me more than most twisty stories. Some readers might think that nothing much happens, but I found myself turning pages compulsively. Jónasson is a master at creating oppressive and cloying atmospheres. The isolation of the place coupled with the fact that the story is set in the 80s, hence no technology available, managed to create a really unsettling and eerie feeling all throughout the novel.

I really felt sympathy for Una and her not very warm welcome from the townspeople. Their weird behaviour made me think she might have stepped into some kind of cult or something. Add some supernatural elements and you will also start doubting your own mind. I loved the balance with the paranormal elements and how the story did not relied completely on those.

In my opinion the two POVs were equally interesting and I could not think how they would tie at the end, but once everything was explained I thought it quite satisfaying.

Once again the Icelandic landscape turns into another character of the story. The bleak winter and the hostile village contribute to the suffocating and claustrophobic atmosphere. This is one of the reasons I love Icelandic Nordic Noir so much. How may times can you feel claustrophobic when out in the open?

I don't know about you but, once some "normal" life is restored, Iceland is at the top of my bucket list of places to visit and all thanks to Ragnar Jónasson books. If you're a fan of the genre I'm sure this one will appeal to you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Una is a teacher who needs a job and Skalar is a tiny village in need of a teacher. Surely a match made in Heaven? But when Una arrives in Skalar, not everyone is who they say they are are suddenly the job is not as attractive as it was. Can Una befriend the inhabitants of Skalar before it's too late.

This was quite a strange read - a lot of the time the characters were so secretive that it was hard to follow what they mean and what they were trying to hide. In the end, it did turn out to be a good , old murder mystery but not one the reader had any chance of solving for themselves.

I do enjoy Icelandic Noir but I think this just had too many elements to make it enjoyable. Not one I would really recommend when there are so many better available to read.

Ragnar Jonasson has become one of my favourite authors. I love particularly the wonderful descriptive passages that make Iceland live. I found this book a little uncomfortable to read, it is quite a chilling story (forgive the pun). The story is well crafted and the characters well drawn. The storyline is very unusual, a teacher being employed to teach two children only in an extraordinarily remote part of Iceland. This is a book which I enjoyed but could not wait to finish because I found it unsettling, I would recommend.

Ragnar Jónasson is one of my favourite authors, a master at capturing the unique Icelandic environment and drawing it into the narrative of some of the best character-led stories I’ve read. He’s superbly skilled at reflecting the bleakly beautiful aspects of Iceland’s landscape in the tangled threads of his compelling – frequently chilling – mysteries. But this particular story felt completely flat.
It’s a semi-supernatural story of a lonely woman, stalked by her own neuroses and now (perhaps) haunted by a genuine ghost. She lives a lonely life in the big city and becomes even more forlorn when she joins an isolated fishing village as the sole teacher to their two children. She’s barely welcomed by most of the adults; actively threatened by the community bully and ignored by the majority. She finds solace in a wine bottle and starts seeing dead people…
…and then one of her pupils dies in shocking circumstances.
It sounds quite good in synopsis, but the central character simply isn’t interesting enough to carry the weight of the entire narrative. She whines and cringes as the weird coincidences pile up and it was hard to relate to her or feel much sympathy for her self-imposed plight. She’s presumably supposed to be an avatar for ‘hidden women’ everywhere, but she simply comes across as a bit stupid and really rather tiresome. She’s also far too keen to throw herself into the protective arms of the first able suitor, too. So much for the strong female protagonist: this one isn’t even vaguely capable.
There’s an attempt to interweave a more conventional crime-thriller plot in the form of obscure flashbacks. There is in fact a decent plot here, about a criminal evading justice, but it’s buried beneath all the gaslighting / jumping at shadows stuff.
Not a good introduction to this author, then. It has the feel of an old manuscript, written many moons ago and given a quick polish to fit some modern themes. I recommend instead the Hulda Hermannsdóttir trilogy, which are modern classics of Icelandic noir – so carefully crafted and perfectly executed that you have to wonder if they’re written by the same hand.
5/10

I confess to being a big fan of this author so to have an ARC of this book was a real privilege and pleasure and I genuinely think this is one of my favourite books by him. This book has everything I love in a book, ghosts, an old creepy house, an atmospheric location and mystery. This book has the perfect balance of all these to make a great story. The location as always plays a major role in the story to help create a perfect and edgy atmosphere that alongside the main characters sets the scene for a claustrophobic small town community.

Una, a teacher, decides to leave Reykjavik for a teaching post in the tiny community of Skalar hoping to sort her life out but soon discovers that she might not be cut for life in this remote location, or in fact welcome...The mystery and magic of Skalar will keep you hooked right to the end.

Love this author and this book does not disappoint. Well written and the descriptions of the characters and the landscapes are excellent. Gave me a chill reading it.

This was quite a slow burner for me, not something that had me on the edge of my seat but did keep me interested. I couldn't fault the translation and the description really had me there in Skalar. I didn't really care for the characters and felt Una was a bit useless and too slow in what she wanted to achieve. All in all it wasn't a bad book but also not something I would read again.
Thank you Netgalley, Ragnar Jonasson and Penguin UK Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Una is lonely, she drinks a lot, doesn't have many friends and is grieving her father, who died by suicide.
After seeing an advertisement for a tutor to two young girls in a remote village in Iceland, she decides to apply for the job and hopes that it will bring the welcome change that she needs.

She is successful, and journeys her way to Skelar. On arrival, she finds a population of ten, most of them hostile. The weather is dire, the entire village bleak and isolated. One of the young girls she teaches is sullen and distant. To add to this miserable scenario, Una keeps hearing the sound of a child singing in the house where she has a room. She starts drinking again, and starts to wonder if she's losing her mind.

Then a young girl dies and Una tries to discover the truth in this claustrophobic, hostile environment.

I read this book in an afternoon. It was an easy enough read, but there was something about it that just didn't grab me. It was partly a murder, a mystery and a ghost story. The atmosphere was decidedly cold and reinforced by everything....the village, the inhabitants, as well as the weather. The sense of isolation was very well done, and it was slightly creepy, but it didn't convince me. I finished it feeling slightly disappointed.

I believe this is Jonasson's first stand alone novel. Having not read any of his previous series, I have read some good reviews and will endeavour to read them in an effort to change my opinion.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in return for an honest review.

The protagonist of this story , Una, struggles with all aspects of her life. A tragedy in her past, a dysfunctional relationship with her mother and lack of friends all lead to a lonely life depending upon drink to ease the loneliness and feeling of disassociation. A job opportunity to relocate to an isolated area with only ten inhabitants as school teacher to the only two children suggest if not exactly an answer to her problems perhaps a temporary escape route in order to rethink her life choices. Finding herself suddenly thrust into an alien environment, unfriendly and secretive inhabitants and an unfathomable mystery where supernatural events threaten her mental and physical well-being. A dark story set in an even darker icy climate where actions reflect the shadows surrounding the mystery that enfolds her. No lightness in environment or characters lift the atmosphere of this mystery thriller leading to an even darker and more frightening conclusion . Many thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
Story revolves around a tiny community in a remote part of Iceland and a young teacher who takes up a position teaching the children of the village (all two of them). You just know that the community is going to hold secrets and she is going to be treated as an outsider.
Decent read and sufficently enjoyed to ensure I'll seach other works of the author.

An ok read, did get confusing at times with different perspectives along the way. Slightly miffed that there were no big cliffhangers at any point.

Una is not coping with life in Reykjavik and responds to an advert for a teacher in Skalar, a tiny village for just two girls. Isolated in the depths of winter Una is not sure if she should have come and then she finds out the house she is living in is haunted.
A gripping atmospheric novel that lures you into the lives of the people living in this isolated place. Twists and turns and another life lost. Could not stop reading, enjoy.

The Girl Who Died is another claustrophobic, atmospheric thriller from Ragnar Jònasson. It reads like part ghost story, part psychological thriller, part mystery. I really enjoyed it. To be fair though, I’ve never read a book from Ragnar that I didn’t like, so it’s no big surprise. This is a slow-paced book, no big dramatic reveals or action scenes, just a well written plot, foreboding prose, what we’ve come to know and love from this author.

An excellent book that manages to weave a ghost story and a murder mystery seamlessly.
The plot revolves around a young teacher who accepts a post in an isolated Icelandic village with only 10 adult inhabitants and two children to teach.
The villagers are not welcoming and as time passes she begins to suspect that they are sharing a secret from which she is excluded. The house she is staying in appears to be haunted but no one talks about it. The atmosphere both in the village and in the house is skillfully described in a way that draws the reader in. This is the first book I have read by this author who is more well known for crime thrillers

3.5 stars for this chilling tale by Ragnar Jonasson, translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb.

Icelandic writer Ragnar Jonasson excels in writing about lonely people in isolated settings. This novel is his bleakest yet. Central character Una decides to reset her life, leaving her teaching post in Reykjavik in order to spend a dark winter in a remote Icelandic village of less than a dozen residents, to teach two pupils. The remoteness of the location on the Langanes Peninsula is underscored by setting the novel in the 1980s – no internet, no mobile phones – and since Una’s car is damaged upon arrival in the village, and she finds herself lodging in the attic of a house without even a television for news, Una is utterly cut off from the world.

Gradually an atmosphere of quiet menace and eeriness builds up and as a reader I found myself galloping through the book for answers – what is the tragedy in Una’s childhood that has moulded her life? Is her attic room haunted? Do the villagers have a secret, and are they actually hostile to Una – and if so, why? Is Una an alcoholic, mentally ill or for some other reason an unreliable narrator? Jonasson keeps the reader guessing throughout.

For me, the book fell slightly flat at the end. Perhaps reader satisfaction with the story is bound to hinge on whether a supernatural element is wanted or not. Also, I found Una’s decision to pursue a relationship with Thor inauthentic – she has gone to a village where there are fewer than ten adult residents, so surely she went there with no expectation of a romantic and/or sexual relationship, yet she decides she wants a relationship with Thor immediately, before they have spoken more than a few words, and without her even seeing him clearly on the dark night they meet. It rather smacks of ‘he’ll do’ and didn’t fit with my understanding of her character. It is possible that I am being ungenerous in this review: at a time when I am not allowed further than the narrow boundaries of my Scottish local authority area, it may be that Una’s restricted life echoes my own too closely. The flat tone of the writing complements the bleakness of Una’s surroundings well but made for quite a hard read in time of covid lockdown.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

Iceland is so vast and mysterious, there are countless remote villages and hamlets that natives of the bustling modern capital city Reykjavik can’t even imagine living in, never mind people from the rest of the world; what a rich vein of literature this gives Icelandic authors the licence to mine their stories from and quite naturally Ragnar Jonasson is no exception.

The Girl Who Died is the first Ragnar novel that I’ve read which doesn’t feature a police officer or detective as the principle character and I found it a nice change of direction. It is most brilliantly gothic from start to end.

Una (our protagonist) moves from the city to the most distant point of Iceland to teach in the village of Skálar (population 10) a settlement in the isolated Laganes Peninsula and it’s no spoiler alert to reveal that she soon lives to regret her decision. The claustrophobic Arctic blackness of the nights and days, the unexplained hostile attitude of the close-knit community and - worst of all - the dawning realisation that she is sleeping in a haunted attic all combine to heighten Una’s (and my own) feelings of growing terror and I found myself completely trapped in Ragnar’s icy grip throughout.

A fabulously dark and twisty Icelandic chiller.

Many thanks to Penguin, to Mr Jonasson and to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this fantastic book.

I don’t think Ragnar Jónasson can write a bad book and this standalone is another masterpiece by this very talented author.

Mainly following the story of Una as she moves to Skálar, this book is atmospheric with complex and interesting characters with a bit of creepiness added to the mix.

Albeit slow paced this book was still an amazing page turner with twists that kept on coming and really eerie.

I had some mixed feeling about Una but I ended up warming up to her. I also really loved the feeling of isolation and of clausure that could be felt throughout the descriptions of the village.

I was constantly trying to figure out what was going to happen , when and why but mostly how the stories would intertwine and have again failed to guess it right.

The plot, setting and characters are to the point and at the level of greatness that Ragnar Jónasson has spoiled us with.

Overall, highly recommend this and all the previous books by this author and cannot wait to read more of his books.

Ragnar Jonasson writes a chillingly dark, eerie and atmospheric slow burn of a historical mystery with elements of the supernatural set in the 1980s. It is 1986, in Reykjavik 30 year old Una is struggling and feeling at a low point in her life, the tragic suicide of her father, the remarriage of her mother, the difficulties in securing work has her responding at an advertisement for a teacher in a remote and desolate part of the North East Icelandic coast. The tiny community of 10 people in the fishing village Skalar seems to offer something different for the urban living Una, the possibility of escaping her dire circumstances, accommodation is included, but is she jumping out of the frying pan into the fire?

Una finds herself lodging in a creepy attic, teaching 2 girl students of 7 and 9 years of age, but this takes up little of her time, the locals emanate a hostility and distance that enforces Una sense of deep loneliness in the dark, snow ridden, depressing and bleak winter, and the one person she does connect with is Thor, but even he shows no inclination in letting their relationship develop. Remember this is the 1980s, there are no mobile phones and the internet, so the sense of being cut off from the rest of the world is far more acute in this time period. Una takes to drinking wine, and she begins to hear piano music and the sounds of a singing child, even thinking she can see the ghost of the child, but is she imagining it all? Years ago a child died in mysterious circumstances, becoming part of the folklore of the area, as Una tries to find out all she can. Then there is another death in this claustrophobic narrative of crime and ghosts.

Jonasson excels in creating a location that acts as a central character amidst which this unsettling and disturbing Icelandic story revolves. His characters are complicated, particularly Una who begins to doubt herself, who comes to live in this environment that is beyond anything she has ever experienced before. This is an intensely compelling and haunting read, beautifully written and well plotted, an Icelandic noir of an untrustworthy community harbouring lies, deceptions, secrets, ghosts and crime, where the sense of dread grows ever stronger. This will appeal to fans of Jonasson and to other crime and mytery readers. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Una, a teacher, is told about a job by her best friend; but the job is at the remote and isolated village of Skalar. Her job will be to teach the only 2 children in the village, and accommodation comes with the job! It seems an ideal answer to Una to get away and use her teaching skills. She is to stay with the mother of one of the children she is to teach.

But the village is very unwelcoming; all 10 residents are very close knit and look on her as an unwelcome intruder, but Una sticks with it. She has no TV, internet, newspapers are a day behind and so she is very isolated in her attic flat. Strange dreams cause unease, as well as visions of a little girl

The descriptions of the place are very atmospheric and chilling (pardon the pun), it is so remote and the villagers a very tight knit group. Una is told to organise the Christmas Concert and has the help of one of the villagers.

Something shocking happens after the concert and Una questions everything about the village and the residents. Will not say anymore as this would give spoilers.

I have read of of Ragnor's other books and this is up there with the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy.