jackalop3's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
slowlychloe's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
abbie_'s review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
I just love a book about not very much at all, especially if it includes a claustrophobic descent into madness. On that front, History. A Mess. delivers!
.
Translated from the Icelandic by Lytton Smith, this little gem from Peirene Press chronicles a PhD student’s carefully built thesis (and life tbh) crumbling because of a tiny oversight. She believes she’s found the first female artist in Britain, but six years after painstakingly writing her thesis, she discovers a fatal error made years earlier. Her life’s work threatened, she needs to decide if she should come clean or strive to cover up her mistake. Madness ensues.
.
This book doesn’t really have anything in common with Lote by Shola von Reinhold (if you’ve not read that yet, please do), but I was reminded of it all the same. Lots of archival shenanigans and reflections on history - who makes the cut, who doesn’t, how easy it is to write someone out of history (or write someone in 👀). Honestly it’s wild how easily this could happen - historical documents are obviously very difficult to read, pages are lost to time, it could so easily happen that things are misinterpreted and wreak havoc on previously accepted theories, or the opposite.
.
In between agonising over her thesis and conjuring mysterious doors in her living room, the main character also spends a lot of energy thinking about her 7 friends, imagining scenarios where she’s not present. I love this close kind of writing, feverish run-on sentences that give the reader an intense intimacy with the protagonist. Pálsdóttir does an amazing job depicting the protagonist’s mental decline in this way.
.
The ending was sadder than I anticipated, but also very satisfying! Similar to The Idiot which I reviewed a few weeks back, I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone but I think if you know your tastes and this review piques your interest, you’ll have a good time!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Mental illness
literamoi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eleanor_rose22's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
unhinged woman loses her mind over her phd thesis, incredibly relatable, a bit tricky to follow but I enjoyed that timelessness/senselessness as her academic lie consumes her - v original and different!
isobel_laura's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide
clotalksbooks's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Very surreal. I found it hard to follow what was going on which hampered my enjoyment of the piece. It wasn't until the final section that it began to click into place for me. It just isn't my type of book I don't think. I believe it is probably a good example of its genre though. The writing and the translation seemed good.
waveszz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ladylegerwood's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
irmh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0