Broken

This extraordinary crime novel debuted 2022 in the authors’ native Iceland, but is now finally available in an English Language translation.  Broken is a deeply thought-provoking narrative, written in an urgent present-tense style making the reader pause to collate and evaluate the proceedings as well as to take a breath. Written from multiple viewpoints, terse dialogue with deftly placed social commentary - its narrative pace is measured, but zings along with the velocity of the bullet that impacts Dora’s head in Broken’s opening chapter.

Dora works for the police in Reykjavík, shielded from ‘real’ police work by her boss Ellioi, instead she’s left to manage administration / office work, though she longs to return to working on the street. Ellioi hides his guilt [from the assignment they shared and which left fragments of a bullet lodged in Dora’s skull], by keeping her in the office, deskbound on minor cases - and away from further danger. The cranial injury still causes Dora physical pain, constant operations, and strict regime of medication - affecting her cognition and distorting her personality.

When a major drug-raid entails a large deployment of the Reykjavík police man-power, Dora is assigned the case of missing teen girl who vanished from a school trip - to keep her away from danger [and the action].

Ellioi explains that the police are under pressure to find the missing teenager Guôbjorg Häkonardôttir as quickly as possible, both from [a] the press as well as [b] Chief Superintendent Bjarki Freyr [nicknamed Gorbi behind his back, due to the prominent birthmark on his balding forehead]. The school-girl Guôbjorg is not only dark-skinned [of mixed-race], but also suffers from gender dysphoria and insists on being called ‘Morgan’.

Due to the issues of both Race and Gender, Dora is assigned a partner to assist track down the missing teenager - enter Rado [short for Radomir] – the child of Serbian refugees who came to Iceland [with his brother Zeijko] following the war in Bosnia. Rado has tried hard to integrate into Icelandic society by training to become a police officer - despite the anti-foreigner epithets from some of his police colleagues. Ellioi is also under pressure to keep Rado away from the planned drug raid, because the target is Rado’s Father-in-Law Jurek, and his wider family of Polish gangsters [also immigrants to Iceland] – including Rado’s wife Ewa, and brother-in-law Artur.

So this unlikely pair of misfits [Dora, recovering from a brain injury received in the line of fire and Rado, a Serbian Immigrant who is connected to a Polish Criminal Family] – begin their hunt for a troubled teenager who vanished during a school trip.

The author adds to the mix a biker gang who peddle narcotics and racist ideologies; a skyscraper development ‘Elysium’ built exclusively for the ultra-wealthy;  a petty thief called Hector, the gang-boss Gustav Karl, and lurking in the shadows is a former soldier / mercenary turned underworld hitman named amusingly ‘The Groke’.

The characterisation is vivid though subtle as the author applies deft touches to make even the minor figures distinct and painted with pathos, such as Rado’s three-year old son Jurek [junior]; Dora’s long suffering partner Jafet and their boss Police Captain Ellioi’s boy-friend - Indrioi.

The chapters are short and the writing style terse, which is of little wonder as Jonasson is a poet, and also a playwright and screenwriter. The narrative is propelled like a slingshot, but there are moments that provoke deep thought in the reader, contemplation on some of the nuances that make up life.

There is a very minor scene toward the climax that made me pause and reflect, where Rado poses as an uneducated immigrant cleaner in order to gain access to a penthouse suite at the Elysium tower. After clearing the security gate his partner Dora grins and says “Well played my man.”

“It comes easy enough,” Rado says. “That’s how my dad talked.”

He doesn’t mention the shame he used to feel every time his father opened his mouth in public. These days he’s just ashamed of having been ashamed.

In the opinion of this reviewer, Broken is a standout as the writing took my breath away.

Translated from the Icelandic elegantly into English by Quentin Bates

Published in Hardcover on June 12th 2025 and then in Paperback on August 1st 2025 by Corylus Books