Chain of Events
Fredrik
T. Olsson
Everything
about this book's jacket, from the plot description on the inside
flap to the brief character blurbs on the back cover, says generic
thriller,
with a hint of science fiction thrown in for good measure. This is,
more or less, what the book delivers, hitting all of the necessary
bullet points to provide a somewhat
predictable,
yet mostly
satisfying,
experience. Olsson kicks off his high stakes, pan-European plot with
a kidnapping and ably juggles several plot lines and viewpoints,
focusing in turn on abducted cryptographer
William Sandberg, his captors and the mysterious high-level
organization they work for, his ex-wife (who is, naturally, an
intrepid journalist determined to uncover the truth about his
disappearance) and her intern sidekick, and a Dutch professor whose
own girlfriend mysteriously vanished in similar circumstances. Some
of the villains' asides feel misplaced, and Olsson never dives deeply
enough into their psyches to really probe the delicate moral
calculations that influence their previous and present actions. I'm
inclined to praise Olsson for at least making an attempt to probe the
complex morality of their choices- and for allowing the reader to
glimpse the knowns, unknowns, and terrifyingly high stakes from their
points of view- but the unconvincing result betrays the author's
reluctance to assign blame in
circumstances that seem to warrant it.
The antagonist
organization
may not be filled with stock villains, which is in itself a welcome
change of pace, but its perspective is rendered in black and white
whether
or not Olsson believes
he works in shades of gray.
This
is a bit of a shame, as the plot likewise begs- and even explores-
some Very Big Questions about the nature of mankind's place in the
universe and
free will, for starters.
This
offers readers a surprisingly
philosophical change of pace from the typical thriller,
but its
twists don't capitalize
on even a fraction of their
(considerable)
potential. And
while I do sympathize
with Olsson's decision to leave his
biggest question unanswered, as any attempted
solutions
would have almost certainly derailed the whole thing entirely, I
couldn't help but feel a little cheated by his resolution of the
plot's most pressing problem, plausible though it may be. This and
other quality control issues arise not only from the book's reliance
on the manufactured coincidences that drive the genre (forgivable
enough, in context) but also from its halfhearted attempts to
characterize the ostensibly minor viewpoint characters whose inner
turmoil gradually becomes the hinge on which the entire book rotates.
In these and other ways, Olsson asks the reader to exert a degree of
philosophical effort that his book doesn't fully support and thus
cannot fully reward.
It
is to the author's credit that the book is successful, despite the
fact that it ultimately falls short of the high standards it sets for
itself. Olsson (through English translator Dominic Hinde) relies on
the kind of straightforward, direct prose that drives the reader
forward, even if his constant section- and chapter-ending
mini-cliffhangers and foreshadowings become tiresome and worn in
short order. He juggles the various science fiction elements
convincingly, and his pandemic disease is just as terrifying and
convincing as its many cousins. The multiple points of view enhance
the tension more often than they distract from it, and the plot moves
along at a solid pace throughout its many twists and turns, both seen
and unforeseen. While I wish that Olsson had done a bit more to
actually explore, or at least invite his readers to seriously
contemplate, the philosophical conundrums he poses, the book clicks
at a fundamental level and entertains, even if it aspires to more.
Chain of Events
is a capable thriller that provides sufficient bang for the buck
despite some clumsy moments and wasted opportunities for greater
depth.
Grade:
B+
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