Iceland: The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir (from Diplomatica’s ‘Great Reads from Around the World’)
Great Reads from Around the World
I’m slowly making my way through the Great Reads from Around the World list on DiplomaticaGlobal.com, a list curated by each country’s embassy in Washington, D.C. Basically, each embassy was asked what books they would recommend to encapsulate their country’s culture and literary traditions, and these are their responses. It’s a list that’s growing all the time as more countries add their recommendations, and I intend to read from as many countries as I can over the next couple of years. But for this month, I have chosen to focus on Iceland.
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic island with shores in both the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. It has an interesting political history, having been settled at first by Norway over 1,000 years ago, ceded to Denmark in 1814, and finally gaining independence in the first half of the 20th century. Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where two major tectonic plates (Eurasian and North American) are actively moving away from each other. Hence its famous geysers and volcanic eruptions.
Interestingly, Iceland’s first recommendation for Diplomatica’s list is The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir. This is a horror novella about a woman who suspects that she might be sleepwalking when she wakes up every morning sore, covered in bruises and cuts. I was fascinated to find out why the Iceland embassy would have chosen a book like this to represent their culture.
What I learned from The Night Guest
If this is typical Icelandic literature, give me more! It’s very dark (check the trigger warnings if you’re at all sensitive) and atmospheric, Knutsdottir plays with form in very effective ways, and the narrator has a relatable voice despite the translation from Icelandic to English. It’s just the kind of eerie literary horror that I love.
But what does the book say about Iceland and its people and culture? Well, as early as chapter 2 (and the chapters are extremely short), we get a detailed description of Iceland’s ID system:
I open the medical portal and am asked to log in with my electronic ID. Like every Icelander, I have my kennitala, of course, but I’d never linked my national ID number with an online account. So I don’t have an electronic ID. Someone–I don’t remember who–told me they were just a plot to force all Icelanders into a monopoly with a cousin of some Progressive Party big shot in perpetuity. Or was it the Independence Party?
And the banks seem to be in on it, too, because they provide the ID numbers. When you think about it it’s a little odd that banks generate our government IDs, but that’s commonplace Icelandic corruption for you. (p. 7)
As for the healthcare system of Iceland, it comes across much like that of Canada – universal and publicly funded, but only if you’re believed and are willing to jump through a lot of hoops.
I also found the overabundance of cats in the story to be intriguing. I googled a bit, and learned that cats are a huge part of Icelandic culture. Well, they’re a huge part of this book, too. (But like I said, check the trigger warnings!)
A descriptive passage about Iceland
Another passage I want to quote from describes the view from an apartment building. In it, the narrator talks about the Esja mountain range as though it’s alive, which I found to be a potentially revealing insight into Icelandic thought:
___ lives on the east side of the harbor in the chic high-rises that have sprung up around the Harpa Concert Hall. The apartment is brand new and tastefully decorated. … I walk to the huge north window. I admire the marina, the small open motorboats rocking gently by the floating docks. Over the sea, the moon is in the clouds, and the mountain Esja is like a sleeping giant–I know she’s there but I can’t see her in the dark. (p. 64)
Final thoughts
Overall, I’m walking away from this book with a very positive opinion of Icelandic literature. I read a great horror story that I’ll be thinking about for a long time, and I learned a lot I didn’t know about the social and cultural habits of the Icelandic people. I also feel as though I gained some insight into their political landscape. As for the story itself, it probably isn’t for everyone. Check trigger warnings, and be prepared to fill in a lot of blanks on your own at the end. It’s getting a solid 5 stars from me, though! I really enjoyed it.
If you’re interested, you can buy The Night Guest here on Bookshop.org*.
*As an affiliate, I’ll receive a small commission from any purchase made through this link.