About This Novel
On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik detonated a bomb outside the Norwegian Prime Minister's Office in central Oslo, killing eight people. He then went to Utøya Island, broke into the venue of the Norwegian Labor Party Youth Camp, and killed 69 more people. ? In One of Us, journalist Osna Siesta tells the story of this horrific day and its aftermath in a delicate way. How did Breivik come from a wealthy Oslo neighborhood and become Europe's most heinous terrorist? How did he accomplish such a shocking massacre single-handedly? How does a country known for its peace and prosperity respond? Siesta traces Breivik's childhood, revealing how a teenager who loved hip-hop and graffiti became obsessed with right-wing activities, how he became a successful businessman by committing false testimony, and finally how he became addicted to the Internet and proclaimed himself the commander of the Knights Templar, convinced that he could save Europe from the threats of Islam and multiculturalism. ? Interwoven with Breivik's story are the trajectories of the main victims, as the author unearths their uprooting from home, their political awakening and their ill-fated journey to the island. ? At the end of the book, the author presents the show trial of Breivik. Breivik's views plunged the scene into chaos and left legal practitioners, psychologists and the country squabbling over whether he should be considered insane. ? One of Us reads like a crime novel but also a psychological study of violent extremism. The New York Times Book Review even praised it, comparing it to Norman Mailer's "The Executioner's Song" and Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."
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