Day 1 - Origami

I fell asleep by 11.45pm last night and missed the town’s fireworks.

Woke up early to prepare New Year’s breakfast for the guests who have been staying with us.

The couple in Apt 2 just left. He wore a psychedelic T-shirt both days he was with us. She said “very grateful” after every second word.

The family in Apt 3 have known us for years now. They’ve asked to extend their stay.

The guests in Apt 4 are a young hippie couple escaping São Paulo’s pollution. They loved the origamis we left on the tables this morning. Good luck charms.

Book review: Blood Cruise by Mats Strandberg

Mats Strandberg’s Blood Cruise caught my attention when turnintobirds added it to her Goodreads reading list. It was definitely the bloody cover that drew me in, implying godawful things having taken place on a ship (the imagination quickly shuddering at being stuck at sea, nowhere to run or hide); but it also reminded me of how horror novel book covers used to be in the 80s and 90s – schlocky, gory, pulpy. The kind I loved as a teenager.

Some months later, with a brand new Kindle in hand, I decided to download a sample and try it out, and I was immediately hooked (downloading samples, it turns out, is a great way to test run a book before buying it… I’m now addicted.)

If you dove straight into this novel without knowing anything about it, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s your typical Nordic noir. For starters, every character leads a miserable life – whether they work on the decrepit Baltic Charisma ferry that runs between Sweden and Finland, or use ferries to buy tax-free booze, party and get laid. The first half of the novel builds on various characters across this “booze” cruise – from those taking it for the first time to those who have worked it for far too long – as they enter the longest night of their lives. Unbeknownst to them, there is a creature on board with bloody plans for them all.

It’s a very fast and easy read, with some black humour and plenty of gore thrown in. Sometimes reminiscent of Titanic and the Poseidon Adventure, sometimes reminiscent of every vampire and zombie movie/book you’ve ever consumed. There’s the nod to Stephen King (an asshole character that nobody else likes but who they are stuck with) and also other Nordic horrors like Let The Right One In (the creepy child older beyond its years).

Halfway through the novel, before the shit hit the fan, I had a nightmare where I was taking a lift in a cruise ship, and when the doors opened onto a deserted and clinically clean hallway, a piercing scream reached me. I hit the “close door” button in a panic and woke up with a start. The story had got to me.