Part 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary: “Wednesday, November 5, 1980: The Snowman”
Content Warning: This section contains graphic descriptions of murder and violence.
Sara Kvinesland drives through a snowstorm, her son in the backseat. She is going to her lover’s house to ask him not to leave. She leaves her son in the car and goes inside. While they are having sex, her lover sees someone outside the window, but they realize it is only a snowman, appearing to look through the window.
When she returns to the car, her son has locked the doors, and appears frightened. When she asks why, he says that he has seen the snowman, but she is distracted by getting the car safely out of the snowy driveway. Her son says something she can’t hear, and when she asks him to repeat it, he tells her that they are going to die.
Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary: “November 2, 2004—Day 1: Pebble-Eyes”
While Harry Hole gets ready for work, he listens to the radio, where the commentators discuss a study that says that 15-20% of children have a different father than the man who is believed to be the father. Harry thinks about the letter he recently received that mentions Toowoomba, a killer from an old case. A man knocks at the door—Harry’s neighbor has mold, and Harry lets him to inspect his walls.
