Ann DiPietro: Community chaos

Dear Great Book Guru,

So many Halloween parties and events this past weekend!  Great fun, but now I must get back to my reading goal for the year - a book a week. I think a short, riveting psychological thriller would be just the thing. Any ideas?

Returning Reader

Dear Returning Reader,

Karin Fossum is a favorite of mine and her short novel “The Caller” is particularly good. Fossum is an award-winning Norwegian writer known for her attention to detail and her concern for the impact crime has on community.

In “The Caller” we meet Johnny Beskow - a troubled teen who wants the rest of his village to suffer as he has suffered. The pranks he plays are not necessarily criminal, but they are extraordinarily cruel.

He tricks a couple into thinking their infant daughter is injured and when the police refuse to charge him, the parents find themselves at odds and ultimately divorce. His next prank causes a middle-aged couple valiantly coping with illness to give into despair.

When he posts a premature obituary of a spry elderly woman in a local newspaper, she finds herself losing joy and hope.

Johnny’s story is interesting, but it is the poignant portraits of his victims that make this book so compelling, underscoring how a small act of cruelty can easily destroy our sense of community and the devastating impact this can have on our lives. Highly recommended.

Would you like to ask the Great Book Guru for a book suggestion? Contact her at annmdipietro@gmail.com.