The Terrorists Summary
Sjöwall and Wahlöö

Everything you need to understand or teach The Terrorists by Sjöwall and Wahlöö.

  • The Terrorists Summary & Study Guide

The Terrorists Summary

The major theme in all the Sjowal and Wahloo novels is the individual's struggle for survival in a society that would thwart individuality. In The Terrorists, as in all its precedents, a hardy group of capable policemen attempt to solve and prevent crimes in the only effective way: intelligent anal4152 ysis of the problem and tireless following up on even the most apparently insignificant clue. They are constantly badgered to make premature arrests, abandon apparently hopeless cases, and show off law enforcement hardware — all in the name of appeasing the public — never to create a safer society. And Rebecka Lind struggles, in a "free" society," to live a life meaningful to her only to discover that to receive society largesse, one must conform to meaningless expectations.

A second and almost as important theme is the growing violence in a culture which has functioned very well for...

(read more from the Short Guide)

Study Pack