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Unraveled: A Novel about a Meltdown
After a 12-year absence from Iceland, Frida returns home with her husband Damien, a suave and sophisticated British diplomat who has just been made Ambassador to Iceland. It is summer 2008, and the global economy is on shaky ground. As the Icelandic economy begins to spiral out of control, Frida and Damien's marriage starts to unravel. Seeking refuge, Frida travels to a small fishing village on Iceland’s West Fjords, where a chance encounter with a stranger turns out to have greater implications than she could ever have foreseen. With Iceland and Britain locked in a bitter diplomatic dispute, Frida is forced to examine her marriage, her loyalties, and ultimately to answer the What exactly constitutes betrayal? (216 pages)
- GenresFiction
216 pages, Paperback
First published March 23, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 3, 2014
What a great idea for a novel! Alda has undertaken to convey a sense of the Icelandic financial meltdown of 2008 not by an economic or political analysis, but through fiction. I have struggled to make sense of what happened during the collapse, but Alda's novel did a better job of explaining how it felt in Iceland at the time and the impact of the collapse than anything else I have read or heard. Even putting aside the allegorical aspect of the novel, it is a great read, so do not feel that you need to know about or be interested in the Icelandic economy to enjoy this novel. My only reservation is that I wished Alda trusted herself as a writer a bit more. There were a few times when, in my opinion, she wrote one sentence too many. For example, she does a great job of setting up the instability in the main character's life, ending with "[s]he flicked off the TV and leaned against the counter, covering her face with her hands and rubbing her temples." I read this as a metaphor for the sense of instability felt by most Icelanders at the time. But the next sentence is "It seemed like everything around her was coming undone - not only her own life, but the society all around her." Oh, you did not need that sentence! I got it! Leave some work for us readers! :-) But I quibble. Overall, it was a great read, and I look forward to the author's next effort - fiction or otherwise.
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January 31, 2014"Alda Sigmundsdóttir captures the nuances of Icelandic society well. She describes the country in all its beauty with obvious affinity, and she depicts the similarities and disparities of two European nations: Iceland and England.... As a first novel, Sigmundsdóttir’s Unraveled is an inspiring debut well worth reading." - Janet Mary Livesey, University of Oklahoma
This book was reviewed in the January 2014 issue of World Literature Today. Read the full review by visiting our website: http://bit.ly/1cB7ktA
This book was reviewed in the January 2014 issue of World Literature Today. Read the full review by visiting our website: http://bit.ly/1cB7ktA
March 31, 2021
I did not expect much from this little book. However, Alda demonstrates masterful penmanship, navigating between a personal meltdown and an economic meltdown of the whole country. It is an intimate glimpse into a moment of recent history, keeping it short but not stripping away all the details. Did the story get a little soapy towards the end? Yes, but nevertheless, I enjoyed every bit of it.
October 21, 2015
Alda's writing is casual, clean and refreshing, like a drink of cold water.
OK so basically the premise of the book is this. Fríða, an Icelandic woman married to the English ambassador to Iceland during the meltdown is dealing with the collapse of her toxic codependent marriage as the toxic Icelandic economy unravels too.
Now, on to spoilers and emo thoughts. You have been warned.
The book spoke to me on a personal level, not just because I am an Icelander who has lived the greater part of her life abroad (and in fact still do) but the parts that covered Fríða's childhood and her relationship to her mother and grandmother were especially moving because I saw echoes of my own youth in it and they were painful to relive. I have really got to get myself to an Al Anon meeting one of these days. And, did everyone's grandmother take them to the theatre? In my case it was my great-aunt and I can't even begin to express how important those trips were to me.
I was really impressed with every scene that involved Damien and Fríða, it was so toxic! But it seemed so real, even though I have never seen this in my own life their conversations felt like they were based in a truth I knew. Like you just know there are husbands and wives talking to each other that way, you know? And *sigh*, had I not seen similarly manipulative and snide comments from my very own once-upon-a-fancy-English-boyfriend, before we broke up?
I digress.
I was especially impressed with how Fríða's tone of voice changes between when she's speaking English and when she's speaking Icelandic. Such attention to detail!
Obviously the whole book is in English but what I mean is that it seems like when Alda wrote Fríða speaking to Damien, Fríða was more formal and certain words gave away the fact that English still felt like a second language. Fríða would say "it is" instead of "it's" or "I have been longing for a child" instead of "I've wanted a child". It was so subtle, but it's how an Icelander would have said it, because 'to want' and 'to long for' is the same word in Icelandic, whereas in English longing indicates wanting over time. Not to mention 'long' is closer to the Icelandic word for want - "langa í".
Meanwhile when she spoke to Baldur, she was casual and playful even in a way you can't be in your second language.
It's not a froofy sort of book, Alda doesn't rely on floral language and she doesn't go on and on. The book moves at a quick pace. It feels very Icelandic that way, like it's not going to waste any time because it's already the last minute or something. But even though it's quick it's clearly very well thought through and well written.
The parallels to the Icelandic financial crash was very interesting and I wondered if the conversations Fríða has with Baldur and Kristín were influenced by the many interviews she took for her book Living Inside The Meltdown.
I felt kind of like she was holding people's hand through it, like explaining it in case the reader had never really read about it in the news. This was probably a solid move since so many people abroad still don't know what really happened, even Icelanders can be fuzzy on the facts. Also, the amount of people who fetishised what happened in Iceland like we were heroes or something - it's nice to know that people who read this will get an honest and more fair assessment of what happened in the crash.
I'm rambling now. What I'm trying to say is that this is a really good book and I enjoyed it so very much.
It made me terribly homesick here over the Easter break, living in Vietnam with an - unreliable at best- postal service, meant that I had no chocolate easter egg from home this year and this book was my only solace. This book, plus a half eaten kit kat bar I found in the cupboard actually did the trick.
Post Script: I think a part of me hoped that Fríða made it on her own and doesn't hook up with Baldur but becomes this empowered dynamo but on the other hand I kinda feel like a bitch because I also want so badly for Fríða to be happy and you should never dump on love if someone's got it.
OK so basically the premise of the book is this. Fríða, an Icelandic woman married to the English ambassador to Iceland during the meltdown is dealing with the collapse of her toxic codependent marriage as the toxic Icelandic economy unravels too.
Now, on to spoilers and emo thoughts. You have been warned.
The book spoke to me on a personal level, not just because I am an Icelander who has lived the greater part of her life abroad (and in fact still do) but the parts that covered Fríða's childhood and her relationship to her mother and grandmother were especially moving because I saw echoes of my own youth in it and they were painful to relive. I have really got to get myself to an Al Anon meeting one of these days. And, did everyone's grandmother take them to the theatre? In my case it was my great-aunt and I can't even begin to express how important those trips were to me.
I was really impressed with every scene that involved Damien and Fríða, it was so toxic! But it seemed so real, even though I have never seen this in my own life their conversations felt like they were based in a truth I knew. Like you just know there are husbands and wives talking to each other that way, you know? And *sigh*, had I not seen similarly manipulative and snide comments from my very own once-upon-a-fancy-English-boyfriend, before we broke up?
I digress.
I was especially impressed with how Fríða's tone of voice changes between when she's speaking English and when she's speaking Icelandic. Such attention to detail!
Obviously the whole book is in English but what I mean is that it seems like when Alda wrote Fríða speaking to Damien, Fríða was more formal and certain words gave away the fact that English still felt like a second language. Fríða would say "it is" instead of "it's" or "I have been longing for a child" instead of "I've wanted a child". It was so subtle, but it's how an Icelander would have said it, because 'to want' and 'to long for' is the same word in Icelandic, whereas in English longing indicates wanting over time. Not to mention 'long' is closer to the Icelandic word for want - "langa í".
Meanwhile when she spoke to Baldur, she was casual and playful even in a way you can't be in your second language.
It's not a froofy sort of book, Alda doesn't rely on floral language and she doesn't go on and on. The book moves at a quick pace. It feels very Icelandic that way, like it's not going to waste any time because it's already the last minute or something. But even though it's quick it's clearly very well thought through and well written.
The parallels to the Icelandic financial crash was very interesting and I wondered if the conversations Fríða has with Baldur and Kristín were influenced by the many interviews she took for her book Living Inside The Meltdown.
I felt kind of like she was holding people's hand through it, like explaining it in case the reader had never really read about it in the news. This was probably a solid move since so many people abroad still don't know what really happened, even Icelanders can be fuzzy on the facts. Also, the amount of people who fetishised what happened in Iceland like we were heroes or something - it's nice to know that people who read this will get an honest and more fair assessment of what happened in the crash.
I'm rambling now. What I'm trying to say is that this is a really good book and I enjoyed it so very much.
It made me terribly homesick here over the Easter break, living in Vietnam with an - unreliable at best- postal service, meant that I had no chocolate easter egg from home this year and this book was my only solace. This book, plus a half eaten kit kat bar I found in the cupboard actually did the trick.
Post Script: I think a part of me hoped that Fríða made it on her own and doesn't hook up with Baldur but becomes this empowered dynamo but on the other hand I kinda feel like a bitch because I also want so badly for Fríða to be happy and you should never dump on love if someone's got it.
February 17, 2015
A story partly about a country's finicial collaps is not something that I would normally start reading on my own accord. However, a personal interest in Iceland and the fact that I have followed Alda Sigmundsdottir's great facebook page 'The Iceland Weather Report' for a few years now, were quite enough for me to pick up this book - and I'm happy I did!
It is a very good novel, and one I would be happy to recommend, also to people who do not have any particular interest in Iceland or their financial meltdown. It is well written, the style is direct and simple, meant in the best possible way as it works and suits the story. The 'meltdown' part of the title does of course not only refer to the Icelandic economy, but also to the main character and her situation. The story and the characters are interesting, and interestingly presented, so as I said before, a personal interest in Iceland is definitely not required in order to make this an enjoyable read.
It is a very good novel, and one I would be happy to recommend, also to people who do not have any particular interest in Iceland or their financial meltdown. It is well written, the style is direct and simple, meant in the best possible way as it works and suits the story. The 'meltdown' part of the title does of course not only refer to the Icelandic economy, but also to the main character and her situation. The story and the characters are interesting, and interestingly presented, so as I said before, a personal interest in Iceland is definitely not required in order to make this an enjoyable read.
July 24, 2013
If only all debut novels could be as tightly crafted and well-paced as "Unraveled." Alda Sigmundsdóttir manages to draw in the reader from the first chapter into an in-depth character study of our protagonist Frida Lowe as she navigates first the meltdown of her marriage and then that of the Icelandic economy.
There are more than a couple plot twists to keep you guessing right to the end of the novel. Really, the very end. And, as others have already stated, you’ll reach that end quicker than you think -- it is quite the quick read. I definitely recommend this novel and look forward to more of Alda’s work in the hopefully near future.
There are more than a couple plot twists to keep you guessing right to the end of the novel. Really, the very end. And, as others have already stated, you’ll reach that end quicker than you think -- it is quite the quick read. I definitely recommend this novel and look forward to more of Alda’s work in the hopefully near future.
May 13, 2019
The premise was interesting - a woman's life coming unraveled at the same time the Icelandic economy unraveled (2008). The author has also written a nonfiction book about the financial crash (which makes it surprising that Gordon Brown was called "chancellor" not Prime Minister, which was his current role at the time). 9/11 also played a role in the characters' lives.
The book seemed too cliche at the start, but it picked up a bit when covering the main character's past and family history. Later, the affair also had some cliche moments which literally made me roll my eyes, but it was interesting enough to see the two characters get to know each other.
Another thing that annoyed me was the constant comments about the main character not liking her own tone of voice.
I learned a few new things about Iceland, too:
- There's a collection of naive sculptures at Selardalur.
- There's an interesting expression: "All the dead lice are falling from my head!" Unfortunately I had to look up what it means: "Golly, I'm surprised!"
- The financial crisis was called "Kreppa." Again, I had to look up what that means. The connotation is of pinching (as in a shoe), pain and hardship, more so than of crash or crisis.
Despite the books' flaws, I hope the author continues to write nonfiction and continues to be translated to English.
The book seemed too cliche at the start, but it picked up a bit when covering the main character's past and family history. Later, the affair also had some cliche moments which literally made me roll my eyes, but it was interesting enough to see the two characters get to know each other.
Another thing that annoyed me was the constant comments about the main character not liking her own tone of voice.
I learned a few new things about Iceland, too:
- There's a collection of naive sculptures at Selardalur.
- There's an interesting expression: "All the dead lice are falling from my head!" Unfortunately I had to look up what it means: "Golly, I'm surprised!"
- The financial crisis was called "Kreppa." Again, I had to look up what that means. The connotation is of pinching (as in a shoe), pain and hardship, more so than of crash or crisis.
Despite the books' flaws, I hope the author continues to write nonfiction and continues to be translated to English.
June 6, 2024
I absolutely loved the well-crafted prose and vivid descriptions of place. The author paints a vivid picture of Iceland's landscapes and contrasts, as well as cultural quirks like the fact that everyone seems to be somehow connected to everyone else. The primer on the 2008 financial crisis reads as a little academic and stilted in places, but it does break it down in a digestible way.
That said, I thought several of the twists landed badly and could have been better executed.
That said, I thought several of the twists landed badly and could have been better executed.
December 16, 2022
Ok so Damien is absolutely hands down one of the worst husbands on earth. Just truly amazingly bad.
This book has whispers of Rebecca (the creepy house keeper and mysterious older husband), a little bit of Sue Monk Kid’s The Mermaid Chair (illicit love affair that didn’t end with them together but still taught her about freedom), and a nice balance of modern man vs nature. the jarring back and forth between the boring economics (that I frankly didn’t understand) - the banks, the greed, the government compared to the sweeping landscape of Icelandic countryside and black sand beaches and simpler times really highlighted how much damage humans can do.
I’ll have to go read more about the economic fallout.
Overall I liked this book a lot, and having been to Iceland I liked some of the place references.
This book has whispers of Rebecca (the creepy house keeper and mysterious older husband), a little bit of Sue Monk Kid’s The Mermaid Chair (illicit love affair that didn’t end with them together but still taught her about freedom), and a nice balance of modern man vs nature. the jarring back and forth between the boring economics (that I frankly didn’t understand) - the banks, the greed, the government compared to the sweeping landscape of Icelandic countryside and black sand beaches and simpler times really highlighted how much damage humans can do.
I’ll have to go read more about the economic fallout.
Overall I liked this book a lot, and having been to Iceland I liked some of the place references.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2017
Possibility for future class. Read rather quickly. Must look into parallels between her foreign marriage and the economic failure of Iceland.
August 24, 2017
This was an okay book. It was really a mediocre romance that was wrapped up in the Icelandic financial and social meltdown of 2008. Nothing here you couldn't get elsewhere.
January 4, 2019
First time reading her novels and I couldn't put it down! Please do yourself a favor and read it!
June 23, 2024
2.5 ⭐️ and rounding down.
September 20, 2014
Really liked this first novel by Alda, who has written non-fiction, and of course her blog column Iceland Weather Report.
April 6, 2014
Great first novel and another Icelandic author to look out for.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews