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MWSA Review
The Quisling Factor by J. L. Oakley is set in Norway, as the title clearly suggests, both during and after World War II, with locations around Norway but focusing on the small fictional village of Fjellstad near Trondheim, some 300 miles northwest of Oslo. The 443-page story richly shows how difficult it was to recover from five years of German occupation while also offering some glimpses into wartime hardships and cruelties. Various viewpoints are offered: resistance members, quislings, those just trying to survive. After the war, Norway chose to reestablish a system of law and order, so trials were held for those accused of cooperating with the Nazis, with the main trial centering around the tortures and murders of residents of Fjellstad. But the trials meant that the residents had to relive the atrocities of the war. Some residents had physical scars; some had mental scars. Some were able to rebuild their lives; some could not. Suspicions of neighbors remained. All have a place in this story. The on-going suspicion of who else might have been cooperating is the quisling factor of the title.
To aid the reader, maps and a list of characters are included at the beginning of the book, and a partial Glossary of Norwegian words is included at the back. To experience the full richness of the story, it is suggested that you have a device ready to look up the Norwegian words.
Review by Nancy Kauffman (March 2021)
Author's Synopsis
Treason. Espionage. Revenge. In the aftermath of WWII, ex-intelligence agent Tore Haugland tries to adjust to life in his newly freed country with the woman he loves. But he still has to testify against a Norwegian traitor -- one of the monsters of the German occupation -- whom he helped to capture. When mysterious notes threaten Haugland and his family, he must choose between protecting them or bringing to justice the man who tortured him and destroyed the village that hid him. Challenged by injuries and recurring nightmares, he will have to rely on his former training and old Resistance friends to rescue his wife from the traitor who will do anything to keep Haugland from testifying.
ISBN/ASIN: Book: 978-0997323740 Ebook: B08CD6GGJ8
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 468