A few years ago my wife visited Iceland and returned with a stack of books. One of them, Bloodhoof, a collection of poems in both Icelandic and English, she took a stab at translating herself with the help of a dictionary.
This is the first one I've dipped into it, and it's quite unlike anything I've ever read, It's a modern fairytale that takes place at a summer camp called Children in Reindeer Woods, and is linked by road to the Ceaseless Heath, the Endless Pass, and the Forever Valley.
The heroine is an 11-year-old girl named Billie. Her father believes he is a puppet. Whenever his arm is torn off, Billie's mother sews it back on.
Billie has several dolls. One is named Guggalugga, another is bald, and a third is pregnant.
The man in charge of the camp is a former ballet dancer with splayed feet.
Somewhere in the Distance a War is Going on.
The story begins with the arrival of a soldier named Rafael. He wants to be a farmer and gets rid of his uniform but not his weapons.
Another soldier arrives. He parachutes in with a guitar.
A pair of tax collectors show up with a briefcase full of money in the trunk of their car.
A nun comes to the back door and asks for food, then a cigarette. Rafael offers her a drink. She takes off her clothes, plays the guitar, and kisses Raphael.
The last visitor is a shepherd who has been tending a flock of sheep all summer. He plans on returning to university.
Except for Rafael, none of them stay around for any longer than a night. When he and Billie have an argument, they call each other idiot-head and pretzel-face.
Eyes of a Child
There are brief moments of violence but they are not gruesome, and some are absurd. Two dolls commit suicide. Raphael hangs a chicken for crapping in the house, and blows up two cars.
Many of the scenes are described with a childlike innocence.
The cow lowed from out back as though it was missing the fun. Mooooo.
[Billie] dried her mouth as if it were a stamp and the napkin an important document.
The automobile set off from the place. Fart Fart.
When Rafael and Billie decide to get married, the dolls are witnesses. "We'll let the hens sign the contract," says Billie.
The final chapter caps the surreal nature of the book. It takes place on the planet of the puppeteers who control Billie's father.
Author
Kristen Omarsdottir is an Icelandic author, poet, playwright, and visual artist. She has written other novels but this is the only one that has been translated into English. The translation is by Lytton Smith.
