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

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Svidio mi se i način na koji Nesbø ovdje portretira likove, tj. naglasak koji stavlja na likove koji su više možda zlikovci nego heroji i splet okolnosti koji ih je natjerao da to budu. Ljubomora je sama po sebi snažna emocija, korijen mnogih krivih postupaka i skretanja u pogrešnom smjeru. Ovdje je ona ono nešto što sve priče povezuje, ali i ono nešto što ih sve pokreće. This architect, Henrik Bakke, I don’t know how she met him. She always said she met him after I moved out, and at first I believed her. But friends have told me how naive I was, pointing out that the guy moved in almost immediately. Before my side of the bed was even cold, as one of my friends put it. And yet, officer – and I know this may sound strange – it’s actually a sort of comfort to know that it was her feelings for someone else that ruined everything for us. That what Simone and I had wasn’t the kind of thing that just burns itself out of its own accord. That it took love to conquer love.’ 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.

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: 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?’ 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. 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.The reason you haven’t found anything is simple. I haven’t been here, officer. At least not this past year. And the housekeeper does a thorough job with her vacuum cleaner.’ So I wasn’t all that surprised to meet Bakke again at the Kiwi store on Saturday morning a couple of weeks later. We both laughed when I looked in a very demonstrative way at the bag of Twists in his shopping trolley. And he asked about the divorce papers, he said Simone’s lawyer was waiting for them. I said I’d had a lot to do but that I would see to it next week. I was perhaps a little annoyed with him for bringing it up. I mean, what was the rush? He’d taken my place in her bed, surely that was enough to be going on with? It almost seemed as though he could hardly wait to get married to her. And her millions. So I asked him straight out if they were planning to get married. He looked bewildered, so I repeated my question. He smiled wanly and shook his head. And then I got the picture.’ 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. 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.

I say this as though I’ve just made up my mind here and now, but of course that’s not the case. For several minutes now I’ve just been waiting for the right moment. And the right moment is now. This is a book containing 12 short stories. Part 1 is seven shorts about jealousy. Part 2 is five shorts about power. Before my review I've listed the twelve short stories in the book and given them a rating between 1-5.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 enjoyed 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 one of my favourite stories as I love the clever twist at the end which makes me smile 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 still a clever story. I didn't much care for "The Line" which is short and sharp which focuses on the nasty revenge for a someone who jumps the queue in a shop. In "Trash" we have an angry and jealous bin lorry driver who really cleans up after himself and "The Confession" has a particularly delicious Twist! The Confession really appeals to my rather dark sense of humour!! "Odd" was about a writer who is fed up with fame or is he? "The Earring" was really fun with a dark twist to it too...That reminds me, I better get my car serviced soon 🤔 Jo Nesbo is not a new-to-me author as I am slowly making my way through his Harry Hole series. I have also read a few of his stand-alones and really liked them, so when I heard he had a collection of short stories coming out, I knew I had to read them. I’ve really come to enjoy reading short stories recently and had to see what spin Nesbo would put on them. Ejecutarte no sería en ningún caso una venganza suficiente. Porque, sí, quiero que te arrepientas. Quiero que sientas el mismo dolor que yo al perder a uno de tus seres más queridos. Y quiero que sientas la misma culpa que yo por no haber protegido lo bastante a tu familia. No soy mejor persona por eso. Pero los seres humanos tenemos la capacidad única de renunciar a aquello que nos proporciona una satisfacción a corto plazo en aras de algo que tiene una finalidad superior" I counted on you arresting Henrik Bakke as soon as you had the results of the autopsy. I presumed it would be an easy matter to work out that the cyanide came from the chocolates that Bakke had indisputably brought into the house. 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.

But once a second body arrives on his slab I’m pretty sure the coroner is going to be able to work it out, don’t you think? That the murder weapon was right there in front of you the whole time?’ The good thing about Twist is the wrapping,’ I say. ‘That you can change your mind. You can wrap it up again without anyone’s being able to see it’s been opened. Unlike most other things. Confessions, for example. Once a confession has been so to speak unwrapped then that’s it, it’s too late.’ 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. The audiobook is just over 19-hours long, however I felt the hours just slip away as I listened, usually entrhalled. Some of the stories were reminiscent of Roald Dahl's unexpected tales, as they were dark with clever twists. The settings were interesting and varied also, which added to my enjoyment.

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. Una vez más voy a diferir de las corriente generalizada de opiniones sobre este libro: a mi me ha parecido una puñetera maravilla. Not that things were so important for her when she was alive either. I’ve just been explaining all this to the officer. That she told me I could take anything I wanted when she threw me out – the stereo, the TV, books, kitchen equipment, you name it. She was ready for it. She’d decided this was going to be a civilised breakup.

Abstenerse lectores de historias fáciles, los relatos no lo son, el autor parte, en cada relato, de un total caos literario en el que poco o nada tiene sentido para el lector, para después, brillantemente ir poniendo luz en cada historia. Si quieres enterarte desde el principio de lo que está pasando, si no quieres o no tienes tiempo para prestar mucha atención, no es tu libro. 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.’ The stories were read by a variety of narrators, several of whom I was already familiar with. All performances were excellent.Anyway, he turned out to be a really nice person – polite without being servile, intelligent but in a discreet way, and with a humorous appreciation of the comical aspect of our situation. We drank a couple of beers, and when he began after a while to talk about Simone it didn’t take long for me to realise that he was having exactly the same trouble with her as I had had. She was a cat. She came and went as she pleased, she was spoiled and moody, and loyalty was not her most outstanding quality. If I can put it like that. He complained of all the men friends she had and wondered why she couldn’t have female friends like other women. Talked about the nights she’d come home drunk after he’d gone to bed, and all the new and exciting people she’d met who she was so keen to tell him about. In a sort of aside he asked if I’d seen her since we’d split up and I’d moved out, and with a smile I had to tell him no. The smile was because I had realised that he was probably more jealous of me than I was of him. Isn’t that something of a paradox, officer?’ I put down my coffee cup and take a Twist from the dish of chocolates. Coconut. Not my favourite, but perfectly acceptable.