In a world where watching TV without looking at your phone equals reading a book, actually reading a book is quite precious. Reykjavík has lots of cosy coffee shops you can snuggle up in, but how to choose what’s a good read? We asked local bookseller Einar Björn Magnússon from Skálda bókabúð for recommendations straight from his mind. You can get all of these where you usually get books, but we encourage you to support local bookstores, just like Skálda, and stay away from evil corporate giants, aka Amazon.
Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
“Hunchback is a short but provocative novel by Saou Ichikawa about a disabled woman living in a Tokyo care home, relying on an electric wheelchair to get around and a ventilator to breathe. The narrator, Shaka, writes sex journalism and trolls the internet with controversial anonymous tweets from her room. Hunchback is filled with dark humour and a sharp critique of ableism and sexism in Japanese society.”
The Mark by Fríða Ísberg
“The Mark, published in English translation last year, is at the same time humourous and unsettling. Set in a near-future Reykjavík, it imagines a society where citizens are tested for empathy to identify potential anti-social behaviour. This dystopia reveals the dark side of good intentions where virtue becomes a tool for control.”
Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was by Sjón
“Moonstone was published in Icelandic in 2013 and translated into English in 2016. It’s one of my favourite novellas. Set during Iceland’s historical year of 1918, marked by the Spanish flu, a volcanic eruption, a brutal winter, and the country gaining sovereignty from Denmark, it follows queer teenager Máni Steinn, who escapes into the world of cinema. Sjón’s lyrical, dreamlike novella explores the boundaries between reality and the surreal.”
See more Grapevine’s book recommendations here.
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