review by Ro Bennett on show 9th Feb 2012
I downloaded this from Kindle when I got an e mail from Amazon recommending it and selling it for only £1.99. I was intrigued by the title, and thought that for the price if it was awful it wasn’t the end of the world. Although in the middle of another book I started to browse through it as soon as it was downloaded - which took only a few seconds- I then got sucked in and read the whole book in a day and thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is the product description:
With some 66 hits under his belt, Tomislav Bokšić, or Toxic, has a flawless record as hitman for the Croatian mafia in New York. That is, until he kills the wrong guy and is forced to flee the States, leaving behind the life he knows and loves. Suddenly, he finds himself on a plane hurtling toward Reykjavik, Iceland, borrowing the identity of an American televangelist named Father Friendly. With no means of escape from this island devoid of gun shops and contract killing, tragicomic hilarity ensues as he is forced to come to terms with his bloody past and reevaluate his future.
It’s a quick and easy read, very interesting and humorous, with suspense and lots of unexpected twists and turns as Toxic has to live on his wits. When he arrives in Iceland he’s met by this evangelical couple who think he is Father Friendly so he has to pretend to be a preacher. On top of that Father friendly is due to appear on a television show. It’s a real page turner and made me laugh frequently, but it was also thought provoking and heart wrenching in places. I certainly know more about Iceland now and the author’s light hearted, tongue in cheek descriptions of his home and the language are fascinating and interesting. The book also made me more aware of the awfulness of the Serbo-Croat conflict as Tomislav’s past life is gradually revealed.
As these events in his life are uncovered, despite the awful things he has done, I found myself beginning to feel sympathy for Tomislav, or Tommy as he is now known and hope his future would all work out well somehow. Can an ex hitman make a new life? Can he find love and happiness? I found myself rooting for him.
It’s an unusual, clever, funny and informative book with a serious undercurrent - well worth £1.99. It’s certainly a book I’ll remember. But beware - the language is pretty ripe.
The author has written other books which have been nominated for various Icelandic literature prizes. This is the only novel written in English. The author’s own translation was published in Iceland in 2008. If any more of his books are translated I would certainly like to read them.
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