I Remember You: A Ghost Story by Yrsa Siqurdadottir

          This is the first time I have read a book by Yrsa Siqudadottor.   Her other books are a series about a lawyer who solves murders that seem brutal based on the synopsis of her books.   I thought that this would be a good change of pace for me since I haven’t  read a horror book in over 10 years.  

           I don’t consider I Remember You to be a horror story and I thought that was a good thing.  You won’t find brutal and graphic violence in this story like you would in a Stephen King novel.  I would probably disagree with others and say that it is not a creepy story either.   

           The story is based on two different viewpoints.  One would be three characters - Garoer, Lif, and Katrin.  Garoer and Katrin are married and are also good friends with Lif and her husband, who passed away recently.  The three of them traveled by boat to a remote island in Iceland to renovate a house that is owned by Garoer.  

           The other viewpoint is a psychiatrist named Freyr who is contacted by the local police to investigate why a school was vandalized on the island.  In addition, Freyr wants answers on how his son disappeared and is presumed to be dead.  Freyr thinks that all this is connected to his son’s disappearance as well.  

           The story moves along nicely and the tension builds on both viewpoints.  Garoer, Lif, and Katrin are in the house and think that the ghost of a 13 year old boy is there and they are terrified of him.  It might seem unreal on one level to see three adults being scared of a child but since they have no idea where he is, the story is more chilling since you don’t know what is going to happen next.   

            The story of Freyr is also created with tension as he tries to solve the mystery of the ghost as well as the disappearance of his son.  His story moves nicely as he tries to uncover the answers which kept the story moving for me as well. 

            The characters in the story have their flaws and I like the way that the author used that towards the ending.  It created more surprises for me and the story just seemed even more believable as a result. 

           I Remember You is also based on a true story of a young boy who has disappeared.  The author does a great job of blending this in to her story and creating a great ending which was tragic and poignant.   The ending is a great one that will remind many people of their own childhood and how cruel children can be.  

            Of course, there are things left up in the air and I didn’t mind using my imagination to wonder about what happened with the ghost.  I would not only call I Remember You a good ghost story but a great piece of contemporary literature in Iceland.  It is one of the best books that i read this year and I’m happy to give it more than five stars.  

Ron Hummer