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alisarae 's review for:
Miss Iceland
by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
#AlisaReadsTheWorld: Iceland
I was so excited to finally read a book from Iceland. What with Jolabokaflod, the country with the most books published per capita, QR codes on park benches so you can listen to audiobooks, and where 1 in 10 people will become published authors... I was dying to see what that literary atmosphere would produce.
Sooo, what I thought this book was about: a quirky comedy about a young woman who wants to be a writer and bucks stereotypes and expectations by her non-traditional presentation at a beauty contest (read: Dumplin' but in Iceland).
What this book is actually about: in the 1960s a young woman who wants to be a writer and her gay best friend try to carve out the best life they can, given the conservative patriarchy of the times.
I have to say that the cover through me off. Some of the other editions have covers that give a better sense of the mood of the story—a bit melancholy, a lot is left unsaid. The writing is deceptively simple and I took the mechanics of the story for granted. But after I finished, I deeply appreciated the contrasts of the characters' decisions that were at play.
For example, Hekla and her girl friend both write and keep their writing a secret from their male partners. The friend ultimately gives up writing and decides to find fulfillment in her traditional family structure; Hekla eschews a traditional marriage in favor of writing yet ultimately still sacrifices her work to the demands of patriarchy.
And pay attention to the results of women's desire: Hekla's mom's wishes for her children, Hekla's boyfriend's mom literally can't finish a sentence without her son completing it for her, how the women at the hotel restaurant voice their complaints, Hekla's husband's response to her writing, etc.
Nature, as you might imagine when you think about Iceland, is an important part of the novel: new islands being birthed, volcano eruptions and smoke, farming, the rain and snow and ice. And it cracked me up when Jon John tells Hekla, "In Denmark it gets dark at night in the summer!"
It paired very well with [b:The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood; Youth; Dependency|53317528|The Copenhagen Trilogy Childhood; Youth; Dependency|Tove Ditlevsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593377780l/53317528._SY75_.jpg|62438608] which I also finished this month. They have similar themes: women in post-war Nordic countries struggling to make a career out of writing in spite of the constant "women aren't authors" rhetoric. Miss Iceland even gives a nod to the book.
I'd recommend this book, but be aware that it's a translation and has some rough edges.
Food pairing: Haddock and potato chowder with a thick slice of rye and butter.
I was so excited to finally read a book from Iceland. What with Jolabokaflod, the country with the most books published per capita, QR codes on park benches so you can listen to audiobooks, and where 1 in 10 people will become published authors... I was dying to see what that literary atmosphere would produce.
Sooo, what I thought this book was about: a quirky comedy about a young woman who wants to be a writer and bucks stereotypes and expectations by her non-traditional presentation at a beauty contest (read: Dumplin' but in Iceland).
What this book is actually about: in the 1960s a young woman who wants to be a writer and her gay best friend try to carve out the best life they can, given the conservative patriarchy of the times.
I have to say that the cover through me off. Some of the other editions have covers that give a better sense of the mood of the story—a bit melancholy, a lot is left unsaid. The writing is deceptively simple and I took the mechanics of the story for granted. But after I finished, I deeply appreciated the contrasts of the characters' decisions that were at play.
Spoiler
For example, Hekla and her girl friend both write and keep their writing a secret from their male partners. The friend ultimately gives up writing and decides to find fulfillment in her traditional family structure; Hekla eschews a traditional marriage in favor of writing yet ultimately still sacrifices her work to the demands of patriarchy.
And pay attention to the results of women's desire: Hekla's mom's wishes for her children, Hekla's boyfriend's mom literally can't finish a sentence without her son completing it for her, how the women at the hotel restaurant voice their complaints, Hekla's husband's response to her writing, etc.
Nature, as you might imagine when you think about Iceland, is an important part of the novel: new islands being birthed, volcano eruptions and smoke, farming, the rain and snow and ice. And it cracked me up when Jon John tells Hekla, "In Denmark it gets dark at night in the summer!"
It paired very well with [b:The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood; Youth; Dependency|53317528|The Copenhagen Trilogy Childhood; Youth; Dependency|Tove Ditlevsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593377780l/53317528._SY75_.jpg|62438608] which I also finished this month. They have similar themes: women in post-war Nordic countries struggling to make a career out of writing in spite of the constant "women aren't authors" rhetoric. Miss Iceland even gives a nod to the book.
I'd recommend this book, but be aware that it's a translation and has some rough edges.
Food pairing: Haddock and potato chowder with a thick slice of rye and butter.