Dark Days

I'm not much of a book reviewer, so don't expect too much from this little blog entry. But, anyway, here it goes.

I've recently read two books by Icelandic authors, 101 Reykjavik by Hallgrimur Helgason and Angels of the Universe by Einar Mar Gudmundsson both of which deal with darker themes though with a lot of humor thrown in.

101 Reykjavik, a book that I really wanted to like, deals with an anti-hero named Hlynur who makes your typical anti-hero look a bit like a prom queen--he even gives Alex from A Clockwork Orange a run for his cutter. Hlynur is an E-dropping, porn watching, welfare-collecting slacker whose nifty world runs aground amidst a series of pregnancies around him, ones which in one way or another he's responsible for (a lesson to you kids out there: don't steal your sister's birth control pills OR sleep with your mother's girlfriend; it'll just lead to messy plot development points!). For someone who's been to Iceland, the best part of the book are the frequent references to places you've been or seen. I found the story to be far too perverse and amoral for my tastes and I'm not a prude, well, not too much of one anyway. But, all I have to say is that the book has a few good moments, a character that just isn't likable even as an anti-hero, and lots of great local references for those of you who like that sort of thing.

On the other hand, Angels of the Universe is a solid book. I liked it so much, I'll even recommend you read it. It's not utterly profound or anything, but it is a well-written story: a depressing tale with a relentless vein of humor running through it. It's the story of the author's brother Palmi, who battles with schizophrenia throughout his life. Told from Paul's (Palmi's) point-of-view, this cradle-to-grave story flows from childhood memories to years spent in and out of Klepp, the local asylum. The story highlights the way in which the mentally ill are shunted aside in Icelandic society; more importantly, though, it humanizes them. There's a One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest feel to the trip away from Klepp that Paul and his friends make, ostensibly to go to another friend's funeral. They wind up in one of the finest restaurants in town: a visit that ends with the waiter being handed a note by Paul's companion that reads: "We are inmates at the psychiatric hospital. Please call the police immediately. That was an exceptionally fine meal." As I said above, it's a book well worth reading.

Well, I've also been working my way through Laxness's World Light. When I finish it I will submit my book report. If you've read any of these books and want to lend your own comments below, I look forward to hearing from you.