A wonderfully detailed observation of life in 1950's Iceland. There is so much hardship that this should be a depressing story, but the comedy and humour come through to lift the mood and make you smile.
Extract
Gummi was twenty-four, and had an office job with the Electricity Board. It was said that he was such a clumsy oaf that he was turning everyone's hair grey. Even Toti once admitted that God had not made a very good job of his Gummi: 'Sometimes I think he has a diesel engine inside his head,' Toti said, as he sat for a whole day chatting to Tommi down at the shop, drinking half a bottle of spirits and not daring to go home.
