A disillusioned architect in Reykjavík struggles with himself and his idealism in an Icelandic construction industry that leaves no room for quality or long-term thinking. 

In this thought-provoking novella, Andri Snær Magnason sheds light on how our narratives—of control, of humankind’s supremacy—leave their mark on the physical things we build. 

Giantstone invites us to ask: What new stories can shape both our inner and outer worlds? Can we shift the notion of ourselves as the center of the world? And can what we build and create reflect a way of life that cares for the Earth?

“The story is brilliantly framed by a single moment: the narrator hurls a Jötunsteinn—a tough paving stone the size of a brick—at his cousin’s car. Looking back, he reflects on how he became ‘a tool for the accumulation of capital by a few individuals.’ … A short but outstanding work, much larger than itself.”
Central Danish Library

“Astute and thought-provoking fiction like this is often the best way to understand the real world.”
Bruno Giussani, author and former TED global curator