Høeg, Peter

(Danish, 1957– )

Peter Høeg was a dancer, actor, fencer, sailor, and mountaineer before turning to writing. Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (1992) catapulted him into the ranks of the best-sellers. It tells the story of Smilla Jaspersen, a Greenlander living in Copenhagen, who is moved to investigate the sudden death of her neighbour's 6-year-old son. Smilla is a compelling character, tenacious, angry, vulnerable, and brave. Her quest takes her from Denmark far into the Arctic Circle, into a world of icy fear. The book is a taut, elaborate thriller and whodunnit which explores issues of power, politics, truth, and betrayal with a marvellous poetic style and memorable imagery. Borderliners (1995) is a remarkable study of damaged children and their fate in Danish institutions. The Woman and the Ape (1996) is a witty, fast-moving, cautionary fable which explores the relationship between humans and animals.

Umberto Eco, Graham Swift, David Guterson. See THRILLERS  CS