The Undesired

A Thriller

By: Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Narrated by: Karen Cass, Nick Underwood

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Aldis hates her job working in a juvenile detention center in rural Iceland. The boys are difficult, the owners are unpleasant, and there are mysterious noises at night. And then two of the boys go astray....

Decades later single father Odinn is looking into alleged abuse at the center. The more he finds out, though, the more it seems the odd events of the 1970s are linked to the accident that killed his ex-wife. Was her death something more sinister?

Yrsa Sigurdardottir is a huge European best seller with both her crime and her horror novels. You might want to sleep with the light on after listening to The Undesired.

©2015 Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, Victoria Cribb. (P)2015 Hodder & Stoughton

Good one!

As a mystery/thriller lover I really enjoyed this book and listened to it in one day! Interesting plot that quickly gave me chills. The setting of the border school for difficult and undesirable children is all too real. The ending, and final twist, very chilling as well. Will look for more books by this author.
Audible addict in
Santa Fe, NM

OK but not the best Scandinavian Noir

I am a fan of Scandinavian noir and this was recommended for that category...However the Scandanavianess of this book is non-existant. There was a little mystery, the story is a bit depressing but even so it held my interest till the end. The ending was was ..."meh" . I feel like this book could have been so much more. The narrator made the male voice very boring.

Brilliant, Unique

Yrsa Sigurdardottir is a rare and unmatched talent.
To me, she is the voice of Icelandic Noir.
Her writing is wonderfully descriptive, haunting, and her stories are always unique and very well constructed.
She creates characters that are so interesting and her books have such dimension.
She really knows how to draw the reader into a place, a situation, she understands how to make you feel like you are right there watching these things unfold firsthand.
This book has duel timelines and different perspectives and YS constructs this beautifully.
You become invested in these characters.
It is at times scary, a creepy and haunting tale but it is also thoroughly well thought out.
Her work is so unique, there is literally no one that writes the way that she does.
I have every single book of hers available on audible and they are all incredible.
This book is one of my absolute favorites because it’s surprising in every way, nothing can be predicted and who would think from reading the summary that a plot like this would unfold into a brilliant and enthralling murder mystery?!
It’s so haunting, so relatable, atmospheric and creepy.
I also love that you can never quite suss out exactly what’s going on until the last few pages.
This is hard to achieve with readers that have spent years reading books in this genre, we become very adept at figuring out what’s going on (and usually long before the conclusion)
She is such a talent.
This book is also beautifully performed.
The narration is absolutely excellent.
I highly recommend anything from Yrsa Sigurdadottir, but this book and “I Remember You” are my absolute all time favorites.
Give this book a chance, you’ll find yourself quickly falling in love with her unique voice.
This is a fantastic story, in every way.

FIVE

This is so good. Just start listening and let the author's story carry you along. When you wonder at some of the detailed parts that seem to slow down the action - just stay with it. No gore. Yes, plot ywists and surprises.

Not As Good As I Remember You

I love the way this author writes. I like the alternating chapters and how the story lines interweave at the end. this story really didn't do it enough for me. I was disappointed with the way the two boys died. It felt like it didn't align with the rest of the storyline and character build up. It seemed like Aldis and Aileen could have been sisters based on some of the mention of Aldis's lack of father, and that something more sinister than an abortion could have been Eiden's (spelling?) crime. it seemed to me that the abortion was consensual? it was anticlimactic is all. It also doesn't make sense why Rune would be evil. I don't know. The plot was well done, I just felt that some of the character build up was left unfinished. I Remember You was much better, maybe because there were fewer characters in that book. I will keep reading all of her books though. really enjoy her writing. narration was excellent.

Another keeper!

I love her books, this one started a little bit slow for me, but definitely made up for it! Another excellent suspense, thriller, to the very end!

Slow, realistic burn

I didn't mind the slow speed of the story. The pace added to the realism, as did the absence of gore and jump scenes. For me, the scariest stories are the ones that could actually happen, and this was one of them. It was very atmospheric. The supernatural element, while keeping realistic, did fizzle at the end, leaving me wondering why it was in there at all. The twist was startling. I appreciated how the characters behaved and spoke like real people. The different storylines tied up fairly well at the end without belaboring the conclusion. The narrators were alright but could have put more expression into the characters and scenes.

Chilling, excellent writing.

Although the storytelling of the male narrator is quite flat, it didn't bother me. The female narrator spoke of the past, the male narrator of the present, and the story speaks for itself. A fascinating story in a fascinating country. Chilling, but not sensationalist. Intriguing and compelling to the last moment.

Not as good as the others.

The story start off very well. Like Yrsa other there were many secrets to uncover. Oden was a boring character. And there wad too much inner dialogue with these characters. But the end was the worst ending of all her books. Wouldn't recommend.

Better without Thora

What did you love best about The Undesired?

I like the central character.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Undesired?

The beginning is memorable!

What does Karen Cass and Nick Underwood bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

They spoke clearly.

Any additional comments?

After my first venture into Icelandic suspense, I was ready to send this back and I am glad I didn't. This book held my interest. I gave it four stars because..... Well read it and see what you think, but it was an easier read than the first Thora also by Yrsa Sigurdardottir.