A captivating and imaginative novel that confronts contemporary issues with a mix of poignant humor and a sharp, romantic vision of the power of art in an extreme, precarious world.

This tall, spectral figure, glowing green and self-illuminated, approaches the grand piano and pats it like an old car that has always served well over the years, and is expected once again to get us to our destination.

A Western-Icelandic composer recounts a concert he organized in the Grand Auditorium of the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, where the late pianist Horowitz reprised his 1986 recital from the Moscow Conservatory. The event is a resounding success, and our protagonist begins to plan a concert tour.

However, when the COVID-19 pandemic strikes, those plans are derailed. Quarantined in Belgium, he narrates the preparations for the concert and reflects on giants and extraterrestrials, peace and freedom, migration and dislocation.

“Exciting and captivating.”
SH, ICELANDIC NATIONAL BROADCASTING SERVICE

“Sigurdsson is a remarkably skilled author, eloquent and imaginative, who writes in this work with a sharp, concise style, leaping swiftly between layers of meaning with great mastery and wit … His fans will not be disappointed, and new admirers are sure to emerge …”
PBB, HEIMILDIN WEEKLY