Depths
Originally published in Swedish as Djup in 2004 and later translated into German as Tiefe.

Synopsis

From New Press:
It is October 1914, and Swedish naval officer Lars Tobiasson-Svartman is charged with a secret mission to take depth readings around the Stockholm archipelago. In the course of his work, he lands on the rocky isle of Halsskär. It seems impossible for it to be habitable, yet it is home to the young widow Sara Fredrika, who lives in near-total isolation and is unaware that the world is at war.

A man of control and precision, Tobiasson-Svartman is overwhelmed by his attraction to the half-wild, illiterate Sara Fredrika, a total contrast to his reserved, elegant wife. Soon he enacts the worst of his impulses, turning into another, far more dangerous man, ready to trade in lies and even death to get closer to the lonely woman without losing hold of his wife. Matters of shame, fidelity, and duty are swept to sea as he struggles to maintain his parallel lives, with devastating consequences for the women who love him.

Henning Mankell, author of the internationally bestselling Kurt Wallander series and the critically acclaimed Chronicler of the Winds, once again proves himself a master of the novel with Depths, an arresting, disquieting story of obsession.

From Amazon.com:
It is October 1914: the destroyer Svea emerged from the Stockholm archipelago bearing south-south-east. On board was Lars Tobiasson-Svartman, a naval engineer charged with making depth soundings to find a navigable channel for the Swedish navy. As a child Tobiasson-Svartman was fascinated by measurement; nothing is as magical as exact knowledge. His instinct for his profession is reflected in the comfortable domesticity he enjoys with his wife - herself meticulous in every detail.

Close to the waters where soundings are taken Tobiasson-Svartman alights on a barren skerry, presumed uninhabited, and is surprised to discover there a young woman, Sara Fredrika. Despite her almost feral appearance, something about her strikes him to the core. The mission is a success and the Svea returns to Gothenburg. Tobiasson-Svartman, however, remains haunted by this chance encounter; his equilibrium has been disturbed, and he is now compelled to find any pretence to return to the remote islet.

In "Depths", Mankell confirms his status as a writer beyond the crime genre. By delving deep into the male psyche, he has produced a novel both as tense and compelling in every way as the "Wallander" series, but also powerful, moving and ultimately tragic.

Reviews

• 'Depths' is a bleak, poetic meditation on a hard-to-forget character by Ed Siegel for the Boston Globe, 2007-June-07
• Murder in mind by Katie Toms for The Observer, 2007-Sept-30
• Felonies in foreign fields by John Dugdale for the Times Online, 2007-Jan-07
• Under the Sea by Lucy Ellmann for The New York Times, 2007-Apr-15

Links

• Depths page at the New Press

Language	Title	Publication Date	Translator
Swedish	Djup	2004	N/A
English	Depths	2006	Laurie Thompson
German	Tiefe	2005	Verena Reichel
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Product List
Books
Image	Title	Notes	Vendor
	Djup	Publisher: Leopard Förlag Format: Hardcover Pages: ISBN: 9173430692 Released: 2004 Status: In Print Markets:
	Depths	Publisher: The Harvill Press Format: Hardcover Pages: 416 ISBN: 1843432633 Released: 2006-Oct-5 Status: In Print Markets:	Amazon.co.uk
	Depths	Publisher: New Press Format: Hardcover Pages: 416 ISBN: 1595580891, 978-1595580894 Released: 2007-Apr-2 Status: In Print Markets:	Amazon.com
	Depths	Publisher: Knopf Canada Format: Hardcover Pages: 416 ISBN: 0676978711 Released: 2006-Oct-31 Status: In Print Markets:	Amazon.ca
	Tiefe	Publisher: Zsolnay Format: Hardcover Pages: 365 ISBN: 3552053433 Released: 2005-Mar-12 Status: In Print Markets:	Amazon.de