Iceland

by Jim Krusoe

Book Overview

The debut novel from the author of Blood Lake, a collection of short stories that was critically acclaimed and landed on the Los Angeles Times best-seller list. An adventure in the absurd, Iceland begins with our narrator, Paul, arriving at a mysterious "Institute" to pick out - on doctor's orders - a new internal organ. There he meets Emily, a young, bikini-clad woman hired to stimulate the organs preserved in a nutrient-enhanced swimming pool,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1564783146
• ISBN13: 9781564783141
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Where Kafka Meets Seinfeld: You Will Love It

Iceland is a real country in the North Atlantic. The protagonist really spends some time there. That is about the only connection this book has with reality as we know it. Somehow you don't mind, because, from page one, the author makes it clear that you are not traveling in ordinary reality. I like to think of the novel as a strange mixture of Kafka, the brilliant writer of morbid frustrations; and Seinfeld, the show that was supposed to be about nothing.Actually, it was about the trivia of daily life, seen in a new, totally mad, hilarious way. And so is Iceland. From Paul, the struggling typewriter repairman in a world of computers, to his terminal disease which never kills him, to his failing organ that is never identified, to...well, it goes on and on. Rich with symbolism? Yes, but...often there is less than meets the eye. And that is exactly the point.Iceland is a book about thinking too much, analyzing too much, reading too much into whimsical moments, the "philosophy virus" as Paul sometimes calls it. And so, it is a book that makes you think, and at the same time, laugh. This is a unique novel by a gifted, thoughtful, brilliantly insightful author. I think you will love it. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber

two sides of the reading coin

After reading the 'real' reviews, I am reminded that the reader is always in danger of seeking far too much from symbolism than the author may have meant in the first place. But after re-reading Iceland, I think the professional reviewers phoned it in and passed over the fact that nearly every paragraph, definetly every page has some nugget - that describes the human condition, meditations on the worth of human life, the validity (or lack) of it over anything else, and how quickly our own memories will be forgotten when we are gone. Definetly read it a second time - it is like a crossword puzzle trying to figure out what each character means both literally and symbolically. Writers like Jim Krusoe have their craft honed to a fine point and they'll cut you with it as many times as they see fit.

the vacation every mind can use

jim krusoe's iceland pulls us far from the linear, upwardly mobile, have-to-hurry-to-get-to-the-next-meeting life that so many americans lead. his meditations bring out the poetry of such things as the stain in a carpet, or the scar on the girl youre naked in a swimming pool with, surrounded by real live organs. ... theres enough imagination in this book, coupled with original prose, to qualify it as virtual travel, to list it not with the book reviews but with the accounts of exotic destinations. paul, the novel's narrator, takes his cues from the idiosyncratic, the arcane, the things we have to squint to see in the background of a painting on a wall, and lets this be the guiding light. a great book. can not say enough good things about it.-jamie brisick

Brilliant

This is a brilliant book. I've been reading it on the subway in NYC in the morning and it's perfect for commuting, especially the Dantesque Greta/Virgil descent into the volcano/hell chapter, just like the L train! The writing manages to be tight and concise while also pushing at the boundry of conventional narrative. A wonderful book. Check out Blood Lake, also by Krusoe, to see the same magic worked in the short story form.

A surreal journey - and a strangely funny one

The world Jim Krusoe paints is populated with characters so bizarre that I alternately laughed out loud and slapped myself on the forehead in disbelief. Wrapped in a weird and other-wordly humor, he creates characters that stay with you long after you have finished the book. Iceland has moments that are so clear, that ring so true...you'll feel like Mr. Krusoe has been poking around in your cranium looking for material.