Miscellaneous Mondays: Outrage

This week’s Miscellaneous Mondays post is a guest contribution from my sister, Erin.

I have been working my way through Arnaldur Indriðason's Icelandic murder procedural series, albeit slowly and out of order. The books that I have read, however, are fantastic. The stories are gripping and realistic and practically glue the book to my hand until it's over, at which point I both mope because it's over (a feeling I'm sure you all know too well) and become incredibly paranoid about crime.

They typically focus on a male protagonist, Erlender, who works without a partner and lives a solitary life, and the only women mentioned are supporting characters with little page-time in his narrative. While women are not always positively depicted through his eyes, they are, at the very least, authentic.

You may be wondering why such a series would be recommended on Strong Female Character. When Erlender takes a leave of absence for personal reasons, the series shifts to follow his female co-worker, Elinborg, in at least one novel, entitled Outrage. It gives us a glimpse into the personal life and complex personality of an otherwise minor character. She is a grounded and composed woman and mother who more than holds her own in a male-dominated career field while balancing the trials of her family life and her work. Persuasive and methodical, with outstanding detective skills and a need to get to the bottom of the case, Elinborg is an authentic portrayal of a modern woman in an increasingly demanding world.

I suggest reading through the entire series because each case is enthralling, and every character is well thought-out and, even when only making brief appearances, portrayed with their own foibles, struggles and motives. However, Outrage is a particularly interesting representation of an Actual Strong Female Character, Detective Elinborg.