Aslak Nore’s The Sea Cemetery is a masterfully crafted literary thriller that immerses readers in a convoluted yet intriguing tale of overwhelming family wealth, secrets, and more secrets.

Set near Oslo and Bergen in Norway, the novel explores the complexities of the wealthy Falck family as they navigate a tangled, or perhaps intricately woven, web of inheritance disputes, historical mysteries, and vendettas.

The Sea Cemetery’s intricately woven plot is at once challenging and compelling, and kept me turning pages quickly until the very end. The story unfolds with the death of the family matriarch, whose lack of a will sets off a chain of events that unearth long-buried secrets and scandals spanning generations. From the patriarch’s marriage to a working-class girl (who becomes the family’s matriarch), to the sinking of the SS Prinsesse Ragnhild during World War II and clandestine dealings with the Nazis, to intriguing behaviour by a lone wolf agent in Iraq, on behalf of the Norwegian government’s war on terror, the novel is filled with twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the very last page.

The Sea Cemetery is an absorbing and enjoyable read that will appeal to fans of literary thrillers and epic family sagas. With its rich collection of characters, evocative setting, and absorbing plot, this novel is truly remarkable.

---