Norwegian by Night

By: Derek B. Miller

Narrated by: Sean Mangan

Sheldon Horowitz - 82 years old, impatient, and unreasonable - is staying with his granddaughter's family in Norway when he disappears with a stranger's child. Sheldon is an ex-Marine, and he feels responsible for his son's death in Vietnam. Recently widowed and bereft, he talks to the ghosts of his past constantly.

To Norway's cops, Sheldon is just an old man who is coming undone at the end of a long and hard life. But Sheldon is clear in his own mind. He'd heard the boy's eastern European mother being murdered, and he's determined to protect the child from the killer and his Balkan gang. With an endearing combination of dexterity and daring, Sheldon manages to elude the police in what is hostile, foreign territory for him. But what he doesn't know is that the police and the gang both know where he's heading.

Norwegian by Night is the last adventure of a man coming to terms with the tragedy of his own life as he tries to save another's. It combines laconic, deadpan humour, moral seriousness, visceral grief, and narrative tensions in a remarkable way - and Sheldon, in particular, is about to become a famous fictional hero.

©2012 Derek B. Miller (P)2013 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"Norwegian by Night ‘may just be the Australian publishing coup of the decade, for this is a very powerful novel indeed, and Sheldon Horowitz is an absolutely unforgettable hero....A novel that will last and, soon enough, will be added to that canon of those finer works that transcend mere genre." (Jonathan Dawson, Sunday Tasmanian)

"To say this is an enigmatic read would be the understatement of the season." ( Courier Mail)

An extraordinary novel

Totally engrossing. Really fine character development with philosophical insights and a plot that keep one riveted. Well above average. The narrator is totally adequate even if he isn't as expert as some in suggesting foreign accents. He's good enough.

Wonderful! I won't forget it.

If you could sum up Norwegian by Night in three words, what would they be?

One of year's best,

What was one of the most memorable moments of Norwegian by Night?

Author created unforgettable characters in a magnificent story. Highly recommended.

What does Sean Mangan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent job by narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes!! Very moving: However there were some truly hilarious moments.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book!

Great Story with Lots Things to Consider

This is a wonderful book with a terrific story. But the main story is not the main story. This little book is like a good whiskey. It needs to be savored, sniffed and appreciated.

Contrary to the "it didn't move fast enough" crowd's opinion, the book does move very fast in the sub-plot. Look at and understand the man.

Do that and you'll find an excellent richly told story. This gets my "highly recommend" along with a "take your time and savor" badges.

Give it a chance. There's a lot here.

Delightful surprise

I was a bit skeptical when I read the description of the book - to the point of being willing to return it if the first hour or so did not engage me. Instead I found myself listening straight thru and really enjoying both the story and Sheldon

Interesting and extremely enjoyable

Any additional comments?

I downloaded Norwegian by Night with only a partial understanding of what the book was about. I heard thriller and 82 year old man and thought, I'm in. What a great read! (And from a first-timer no less!!) And bravo for the narration!

Some reviewers who read this book complaining about the constant shift from present day to past days. They felt it was disjointed. Listening to the audio, none of that came across. In fact, this technique actually helped to heighten the "chase."

There was so much to like about this book: I liked how the main character was flawed--real and imagined. I liked the reaction of the boy (totally reasonable,) and the son (not so reasonable but understandable.) The daughter was more an emotional character but she was a chord that stayed taut throughout the novel. The cop was written with a bit of mirth, which could have been odd but actually worked. The bad guy was a total ick.

I'm no expert on genres but this book seems to straddle a few. All the more impactful when you remember that this is a first novel. I can't wait to see what comes next.

A Surprise - NOT what I expected

I chose to listen to this series in chronological order, not published order. Having listened to the prequel 'How to Find Your Way in The Dark' first, 'Norwegian by Night' was very much a surprised to me. Both are solid books but with very different tone - which makes sense as one is from a youthful perspective and the other is aged.

Not sure how I would feel if I had listened in the order published - would not have been surprised :)

This story is solid and interesting with a decent level of complexity. It is pretty dark and somewhat depressing - which, again, was not expected! The dark and depressing tone serves the story well.

Onward to 'America by Day' - which is related, but not a Sheldon Horowitz book... I think...

Outstanding novel

Reading limited due to vision. This book was an amazing combination of storyline, characters and narrator.

Slow start, great story

This story starts fairly slow, but the exposition helps to explain quite a bit of what was going on later. In the end, it is an excellent story and an excellent listen. I would would highly recommend it listening to this in one long session, such as on a drive.

Could not put it down

Thrilling story, I enjoy how Miller weaves the historical and cultural backgrounds of the characters into his stories and the conflict.

Well-written story, poor historical basis

Any additional comments?

This was a well-written story, with mystery, adventure and emotional musings on family and growing old, among many other things. The thing that sticks out for me, however, is how biased it is against Norway and its involvement in WWII. I come from a family who was shattered by the loss of sons and fathers who were members of the Norwegian Navy during WWII. Norwegians suffered greatly during WWII, fought hard against the Germans, and did much to help shelter and save Jewish members of their communities. The author gives no credit to these people, and makes it seem that all of Norway turned a blind eye to what the Germans did. I think the author owes more to the people who lost their lives trying as best they could to help. It was a horrible time, for both Jews and non-Jews alike.