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lori85's review
1.0
The Exception is supposed to be a microcosm of the group dynamics that lead perfectly ordinary people to commit horrendous atrocities, such as the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, and the Stanford Prison Experiment catastrophe. So, in other words, the characters are not meant to be particularly likeable. Except did they have to be so petty, childish, bratty, and over-the-top? They even resort to breaking into someone's house at night to access her computer. One gets mad at another just for looking at her. Practical "jokes" are played.
At that point I was ready to hop into the story myself and start bitch-slapping every one of these insufferable, whiny "ladies" until they starting acting like responsible adult human beings again. Of course, presiding distantly and benevolently over the four hysterical females is Paul, the level-headed man, which gives The Exception some sadly sexist overtones. I mean, other than that one war criminal and his goons, all the male characters in this book come across as pretty normal when compared to the DCIG drama queens. Probably the best part is when Iben starts researching split personality disorder and goes to Paul to inform him that Ann-Lise doubtlessly has this highly rare condition. Srsly? But lo! there is hope. You can still be the Exception, that lone individual who rises up above the collective juggernaut and acts selflessly in defense of your fellow man, whatever the personal risk.
I can see what Jungersen was trying to do but this is not how to do it.
At that point I was ready to hop into the story myself and start bitch-slapping every one of these insufferable, whiny "ladies" until they starting acting like responsible adult human beings again. Of course, presiding distantly and benevolently over the four hysterical females is Paul, the level-headed man, which gives The Exception some sadly sexist overtones. I mean, other than that one war criminal and his goons, all the male characters in this book come across as pretty normal when compared to the DCIG drama queens. Probably the best part is when Iben starts researching split personality disorder and goes to Paul to inform him that Ann-Lise doubtlessly has this highly rare condition. Srsly? But lo! there is hope. You can still be the Exception, that lone individual who rises up above the collective juggernaut and acts selflessly in defense of your fellow man, whatever the personal risk.
I can see what Jungersen was trying to do but this is not how to do it.
raymond_murphy's review
4.0
Copenhagen, here I come! Crispbread, soft cheese, fruit, and yogurt for lunch with your co-workers on a snowy Danish day fighting genocide across the world? What a lovely picture, eh? Well throw in some split personalities, damaged egos, professional climbing, a Serb or two, and you got trouble!
This book was billed as a psychological thriller, but I am not sure that is a great fit description-wise. It was more about situational ethics, groupthink, and the varying perspectives multiple people can have on one series of events. And bullying, lots and lots of bullying.
This was an enjoyable page-turner with a somewhat fresh take on alternating point of view that was pretty well done. It got a bit clunky at times as the author took a few too many detours with educational bits on genocide.
The description of the three female characters began to contain some sexist or sterotypical elements about halfway through that were distracting, but this corrected itself as the plot itself became more and more outlandish toward the end 9but still enjoyable).
All in all, a good book to learn some about a culture I didn't know a lot about, an interesting chance to think about how genocide works some, and most interesting in the exposition of bullying among adults and the way power dynamics among in groups and out groups unravel.
This book was billed as a psychological thriller, but I am not sure that is a great fit description-wise. It was more about situational ethics, groupthink, and the varying perspectives multiple people can have on one series of events. And bullying, lots and lots of bullying.
This was an enjoyable page-turner with a somewhat fresh take on alternating point of view that was pretty well done. It got a bit clunky at times as the author took a few too many detours with educational bits on genocide.
The description of the three female characters began to contain some sexist or sterotypical elements about halfway through that were distracting, but this corrected itself as the plot itself became more and more outlandish toward the end 9but still enjoyable).
All in all, a good book to learn some about a culture I didn't know a lot about, an interesting chance to think about how genocide works some, and most interesting in the exposition of bullying among adults and the way power dynamics among in groups and out groups unravel.
annahastrup's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jenmangler's review
1.0
What an unpleasant read! The office politics in this book are unbelievably toxic and the women are SO awful to each other.
marinapasovski's review against another edition
4.0
Virkelig spændende roman, der blandt andet kredser om temaer som ondskabens psykologi, den frie vilje og psykisk sygdom. Jeg elskede, at forfatteren fik vævet artikler om forskellige folkedrab samt psykologiske eksperimenter om menneskets natur ind.
Forfatteren har taget et modigt valg om skiftende synsvinkler, hvilket gør, at læseren skal kunne holde ud af se verden gennem flere forskellige kvinder, hvoraf det bestemt ikke er alle man umiddelbart sympatiserer med. Det kan være svært, da vi oftest er vant til at hovedpersonen er 'den gode'/heltinden, og derfor tror jeg ikke, at alle vil kunne holde ud af læse den. Det spændende er dog netop spørgsmålet om vi måske alle har noget ondskab i os, der ligger og ulmer. Og viden om, at ondskab ikke nødvendigvis er mord, men også kan være de små ting vi gør ved mennesker i vores omgangskreds, som vi muligvis ikke engang selv indser.
Forfatteren har taget et modigt valg om skiftende synsvinkler, hvilket gør, at læseren skal kunne holde ud af se verden gennem flere forskellige kvinder, hvoraf det bestemt ikke er alle man umiddelbart sympatiserer med. Det kan være svært, da vi oftest er vant til at hovedpersonen er 'den gode'/heltinden, og derfor tror jeg ikke, at alle vil kunne holde ud af læse den. Det spændende er dog netop spørgsmålet om vi måske alle har noget ondskab i os, der ligger og ulmer. Og viden om, at ondskab ikke nødvendigvis er mord, men også kan være de små ting vi gør ved mennesker i vores omgangskreds, som vi muligvis ikke engang selv indser.
sandin954's review
5.0
I found this book to be quite riveting and thought provoking. Set in Denmark, it explores the relationship between four women who work at the Danish Center for Information on Genocide. When two of the women receive death threats the office is thrown into turmoil. The subject matter was quite dark but by shifting the narrative among the various character's points of view the suspense was sustained throughout the entire 500 pages.
ianl1963's review
2.0
Awful BBC rendition, so must get hands on a good translation, so can revisit review.
cremefracas's review
3.0
yikes. once I got started I plowed through this one. Not as much as a mindfuck as everyone was claiming, but still entertaining. Maybe with less psych 101 it would've been 4 stars, but those parts were a little painfully drawn out.