Norwegian by Night

By: Derek B. Miller

Narrated by: Sean Mangan

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

ORIGINAL, ENGAGING, LOVELY

One of the most original and thoughtful books in years - of literary merit yet also a down to earth page-turner.

Surprisingly wonderful

A few representations of scripture and God's nature are appallingly, grievously off but that aside, I found this a wonderful book.

Best Audible So Far

This is a remarkable multidimensional story. Laugh out loud funny at one moment touchingly poignant at another. Underneath the fabric of a crime/suspense page turner there is a nuanced theological questioning. The narrator is skilled with voices, accents, and inflection. First rate in every way.

Great book, but....

Some might consider this to contain a spoiler, so I'm warning you that if you read further, you may learn some things that may spoil the book for you -- so you've been warned.

OK.

Still curious?

OK.

This is a really great story. Very well written, with great characters that I really liked and was really pulling for. The bad guys are easy to dislike, the good guys are easy to cheer for, and the supporting characters really make the story interesting.
The story made me laugh and cry and I really wanted the characters to fulfill their destinies.
Then I got to the part that ruined the book.
The author should be put in stocks and pelted with tomatoes (or worse) as punishment for what he did.
The way the book ends is almost criminal.
I don't expect happy endings and unicorns and rainbows. I'm OK with a tragic ending, or even a violent ending, or even a non-ending with loose ends and lack of resolution. But the ending of this book, for me, ruined the story. It was like all the pages up to the last one, were simply a waste of time.
I won't tell you how it ends, but I will say the last page ruined the book for me.

Loved this book! Great plot and narration.

The greatest thing about this book is that the story is of a crime novel, but paralel there is a very human story which intertwines and makes this superb. Really enjoyed and hope I can find another great book like this.

Suspenseful

The audio is Filled with historical information mixed into this fictional thriller. When will there be a movie.

I truly like the main charecter

What made the experience of listening to Norwegian by Night the most enjoyable?

The main character is remarkable and very memorable. Long after I listened to the book I still think of him. If he was real, I'd have liked to have met him.

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

The memorable part of the story for me was the runaway. That was great.

great book

this was just the right amount of suspense! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. great book!

A very hard book to follow

If your not paying attention this book gets confusing quick….the ending isn’t the greatest, it just ends.

One of the best ever

Beautiful funny inspiring. Haunting. Unique. The range and cadence of the narration is perfection. Thank you.