Depths by
Henning Mankell
hbk out October 06
Published by Harvill
at £16.99
Born in 1948, Henning Mankell probably has a bigger reputation in his native
Sweden than in the English-speaking world. There, 'Faceless Killers', the first Inspector
Wallander novel was published in 1991. And the thirteenth Inspector Wallander story hit
the screen in November 2006. However, now Mankell is being translated into English,
his reputation is deservedly growing.
But this story is a departure from the Wallander series and a journey into the
human psyche. 'Depths' starts in 1937, and leaves us wondering why Kristina Tasker is
in a lunatic asylum. The rest of the tale takes us back to 1914, and the start of the Great
War. Sweden is neutral, though some naval officers are all for taking sides with
Germany, and its more powerful navy. Lars Tobiasson-Svartmann is tasked with the
secret mission of sounding depths off the Swedish coast in order to find new channels for
their navy. Married to Kristina, whom he loves, he is nevertheless a solitary man obsessed
by measurement of everything that surrounds him. He is most comfortable when he
sleeps with his sounding lead, made in 1701.
The voyage he embarks upon is dogged by ill-luck. Firstly a sailor contracts
appendicitis, and though he is taken off the ship, he eventually dies. Later, the captain of
the gunboat he is sailing on drops dead before his eyes. He lives in a claustrophobic
atmosphere, where even the war is no closer than a distant red glow on the horizon, and
the solitary body of a dead German sailor fished from the sea. In foggy conditions, Lars
finds a woman living alone on a tiny island, in almost feral conditions. He becomes
obsessed by her, and returns secretly when he can during his mission. Even after
completing his mission, and he returns home to his wife, Lars cannot forget Sara
Fredrika. When the second stage of his mission is cancelled, he doesn't tell his wife, but
goes back alone to the island. But this time there is a German deserter with Sara. His
obsession draws him inevitably towards tragic consequences.
Mankell's style is very calm and cool, with the events unfolding in a quite
objectively described manner. This controlled style pinpoints the contradictions in Lars
Svartmann's personality. His is a life of measurement and precision, a sounding of the
depths of the sea, and the abyss inside himself. But it does not prevent him being sucked
into an emotional turmoil that even he cannot control. We see the world only through
Lars's eyes, until on two significant occasions he gets to read about himself in the diaries of two
people. The contrast in perceptions is startling. As with the Wallander stories,
don't expect a wild helter-skelter ride of hot action. This story unfolds slowly, almost
restrainedly, but this gives greater impetus to the violence when it does occur. Don't
imagine, however, that its slowness detracts from its enjoyment. At the same time it is
utterly compelling and absorbing. Mankell at his best.
(
Ian Morson
Author of Falconer books and short listed for 1999 Ellis Peters Historical Crime Dagger)
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Depths by
Henning Mankell
