2022: Hard to read if you enjoy watching women succeed

I picked this book up randomly in a used bookstore because I wanted to keep working on my 2022 goal of reading more books in translation. This is a hard challenge - I am so swayed by the marketing of the publishing companies in the US and I want to keep up with the books that people are reading around me too! Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorite books this year, and I feel like I had to struggle through it.

I will say, most of what I didn't like about it was due to the time period and how women were treated at that time–which was poorly. The novel starts with the main character referring to [b:Ulysses|338798|Ulysses|James Joyce|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1428891345l/338798._SY75_.jpg|2368224], which I have not yet read, and I wonder how much of the style of this book emulates Joyce. By the end of the book, I was impressed by just how much has changed in 60 years, and I am going to use that as the takeaway from this novel. Iceland is now considered to be one of the best countries to be a woman!

I read a review that wondered if Isey had actually written the story and that Hekla was just a character...which is really an interesting way to think about it. I would have enjoyed digging into this a little more if I had realized that from the start. Otherwise, I just spent the whole time yelling at Hekla, saying this man is a fuck boy dirt bag who doesn't deserve you, encourage you, or support you - dump his ass!