Norwegian by Night

Miller’s first novel features an unlikely hero, Sheldon Horowitz, an 82-year-old widower suffering from dementia. Haunted by his Korean War experiences and his son’s death in Vietnam, Sheldon has moved to Norway to live with his granddaughter and her husband. On hearing a violent argument outside his family’s Oslo apartment, Sheldon opens his door to a Slavic-looking woman and her small son to offer them refuge from an assailant. The assailant kills the mother, but Sheldon manages to protect the boy. While Sheldon tries to keep the child safe, the police investigate the murder. Moments of humor, such as the time Sheldon bluffs his way into a fancy hotel room, enliven the narrative, but Sheldon’s philosophical musings can wear (e.g., “Sanity is the thick soup of distraction that we immerse ourselves in to keep from remembering that we’re gonna bite it”). This works better as a study in character than a crime novel. Agent: Rebecca Carter, Janklow & Nesbit. (May)