Stylistically self-aware psychosis

Eerie, humorous, and ingenious — a playful take on the genre from an American debut author.

As a reviewer, one must guard against the "reviewer’s malady": gradually coming to like books not because they are good to read, but because they are good to review. [BAD THINGS HAPPEN] could almost be one such book—more fun to write about than to read. It offers a perfect opportunity to use words like "labyrinthine," "stylistically self-aware," "psychosis," "subtle," and even "intertextual," should one be so inclined.

Nevertheless, this reviewer ventures to conclude that [BAD THINGS HAPPEN] is actually a brilliant crime novel, even if it does stray somewhat from the beaten path.

For anyone with a taste for playful dialogue and a complex—and, indeed, labyrinthine—plot, the detour is well worth it.

Investigative editor. David Loogan is the name of the mysterious man who arrives in the university town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. David lands a job as an editor at the magazine *Gray Streets*, which publishes detective short stories. He also becomes good friends with the magazine’s publisher, Tom Kristoll—a friendship not significantly diminished by the fact that he begins an affair with the publisher’s wife.

One evening, David is summoned to Tom’s house to help bury a dead man lying in the basement. This marks the beginning of an incredibly complex chain of events that eventually involves many of the—to put it mildly—colorful authors associated with the magazine.

Multiple corpses turn up, weapons vanish, keys, manuscripts, and memory cards go astray; people are constantly breaking into each other’s spaces, and everyone lies to everyone else. If, for a change, someone happens to tell the truth, it is either a sheer slip-up or, most likely, because...

A malevolent universe. The accumulation of crime clichés is overwhelming—and done with a wink. Every now and then, the suspects pause to consider whether the latest development in the case is actually particularly credible, and whether it might have fit into one of the short stories in *Gray Streets*.

Amidst this whirlwind of playful genre awareness and an absurdly convoluted plot, police officer Elizabeth Waishkey stands as a relatively steady anchor. And she eventually gains an ally in the mysterious Mr. Loogan.

The madness of the plot is also balanced by dry, subtle humor, often expressed through the dialogue. Some people just have a knack for writing dialogue, and Harry Dolan is one of them.

Despite the feel of a stylistic exercise and the touches of—ahem—meta-humor, the story manages to convey a sense of genuine dread, as if one were trapped in a stylish yet malevolent literary universe from which escape is impossible. [BAD THINGS HAPPEN] is not for fans of strict realism. If, for instance, you cannot watch musicals without being annoyed by people suddenly bursting into song and dance for no reason, you should read something else. However, it is perfect for anyone who loves intricate and eerie stylistic studies. And not least: it is exceptionally labyrinthine.

OLA HEGDAL

→ Harry Dolan, Bad Things Happen, translated by Inge Ulrik Gundersen

Cappelen Damm, 357 pages