Staff Review Kasper Krone is a clown blessed with an extraordinary ability to read sonic landscapes. Like so many of Peter Hoeg’s protagonists, Kasper is a desperate man with little to lose. On the run from the tax authorities, Kaspar enters into an amnesty deal with a breakaway order of nuns, in return for protecting a group of children with supernatural abilities. Kaspar, who can read the emotions, thoughts and motives of any person from the sounds they produce, is shocked to fi nd only silence surrounding these children. Hoeg loves a good conspiracy and provides a large cast of faceless corporations, government departments, ruthless businessmen, scornful lovers and sexy nuns, all vying for control of the children. Th e story plays out in an eerie, fl ooded Copenhagen disturbed by mysterious earthquakes. Hoeg parallels the unforgiving Scandinavian environment with the disturbed internal environments of his characters. The Quiet Girl reads like a sprint through a shifting labyrinth, but is far from just an extended action sequence. Lyricism, breathtaking insight and tar-black humour co-exist happily with head butts and slashing oneliners. Kasper is a fascinating and convincing creation; his musical vision of reality is original and highly compelling.
Leanne Hall is from Readings Carlton Set in Denmark in the here and now, The Quiet Girl centres around Kaspar Krone, a world-renowned circus clown with a deep love for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and an even deeper gambling debt. Wanted for tax evasion and on the verge of extradition, Krone is drafted into the service of a mysterious order of nuns who promise him reprieve from the international authorities in return for his help safeguarding a group of children with mystical abilities - abilities which Kaspar also shares. When one of the children goes missing, Krone sets off to find the young girl and bring her back, making a shocking series of discoveries along the way about her identity. The Quiet Girl pits art and spirituality against corporate interests and nothing less than the will to war by the industrialized world. This long-awaited novel from the author of *Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow is a fast-paced philosophical thriller of rare quality.