Icelandic / Iceland
Villueyjar
(Island of errors)
Ragnhildur Hólmgeirsdóttir
(text)
Reykjavík: Björt, 2019. – 349 p.
ISBN 978-9935-499-51-6
Island | Secret | Family
Reading age: 12+
White Ravens issue: 2020
There is only one house in Útsälar: the schoolhouse. Arilda has always lived there. Ever since she can remember, the schoolhouse has been her home. The girl has never wondered why the house stands completely isolated on an otherwise deserted island, as this isn’t particularly unusual on the islands. One day, however, while walking across the island, she gets lost in the fog. Not only does Arilda feel frightened, she also realizes that something is wrong in Útsälar and with the school. It gradually dawns on her that she cannot trust anyone; she will have to search for the answers herself. Doing so, she both finds out about the gruesome happenings in Útsälar, and uncovers her own family’s secrets. Ragnhildur Hólmgeirsdóttir’s texts are full of suspense and drive. Thus it didn’t come as a surprise that she was nominated for the Nordic Council’s Children’s and Youth Book Prize in 2016 as a promising new voice in Icelandic children's and youth literature with her very first novel “Koparborgin” (The copper city). [IG]