A deeply moving story of love, loss, and the power of forgiveness, perfect for readers seeking an emotional and heartfelt journey.

In the dead of night, Askur, a man in his mid-twenties, hitchhikes away from a life filled with fear, shame, and broken relationships. His mother, once a rising political star, awaits his arrival at the airport, unaware of his plans to leave everything behind. 

As memories flood back, Askur recalls his first trip with his girlfriend, Gyda, and the warmth of her grandmother’s home. Haunted by the secret, which tore their family apart, Askur’s journey leads him to confront his past and seek forgiveness from those he wronged. In a twist of fate, his mother races to find him, and together they face their shared shame. In this poignant moment, they begin to rebuild their fragile relationship.

R E V I E W S

“Crosswind could be described as a “poppy” novel that, like the sweetest pop song, tugs at the heartstrings while painting vivid, relatable images. The story is also particularly visual, making it easy to picture the colorful sequence of events.
When the story begins, Askur is ready to start over, escape the relentless Icelandic wind, and find calm in his life. But no matter where he goes, his thoughts inevitably drift back to his mother, whom he hasn’t seen in over a decade—not since she moved to Spain, leaving both him and his father behind. Where exactly Askur is heading on his journey remains a mystery at first, as does why he can’t bring himself to pick his mother up at the airport. What really happened back then? And what is he running from, hitchhiking alone? The answers lie in the past, and the story alternates between the present and past to uncover them.

If you listen closely, you can hear the wind whistling throughout the narrative, sometimes softly, sometimes forcefully. At the start, there is calm, but as the story progresses, the wind picks up and intensifies, culminating in a howling gale at the climax. The wind becomes a sort of soundtrack for the story, reflecting its structure while serving as a metaphor for Askur’s emotions. Askur himself describes the wind as a “draft between people,” referring to the stormy relationships he has with those closest to him (p. 157). The wind is “like a gust that blows through when we open and close ourselves in turn, letting out what stirs within us” (p. 157). It represents everything that exists between us—the spoken and the unspoken, the things left unsaid that reside in silence.

The imagery in the story, which revolves around the wind, is both original and refreshing. The most intense gusts hit the reader with great force, and they are uniquely Icelandic and unmistakable. Aren’t we all, after all, always waiting for the calm? Don’t we all long to find shelter from the eternal wind? It is also worth noting how the play on wind gives the story a striking auditory and rhythmic quality.

Crosswind is, in many ways, a traditional coming-of-age and journey story, where Askur’s external travels mirror his inner emotional journey. It is a finely crafted and captivating story that speaks intriguingly to the present, taking the reader on a bittersweet journey through the pangs of first love. If Crosswind were a pop song, I would definitely sing along.”
SNAEDIS BJORNSDOTTIR, TMM LITERARY MAGAZINE

“Crosswind, the first novel by a young author who steps forward here as a fully matured writer. Some kind of Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist is a young man who has lost control and connection for reasons that gradually become clear in a multi-layered narrative that keeps you engaged until the end. There is no hint of a beginner’s touch or dead ends … everyone is human, on their own terms, incredibly well done.”
ANDRI SNAER MAGNASON, WRITER

“… a profound reading experience… Einar Lovdahl is clearly a major talent… it usually takes decades to achieve such mastery in plot design and character descriptions… such sensitivity to situations, and precision in the depiction of emotions. It’s unusual for someone to succeed in this on their first attempt. … here, we are dealing with real pain, with real consequences. The conclusion, as so often: Children are fragile, and parents are idiots.
The story is structured in three circles. 1. The Mother. 2. Gyða. 3. The Escape. The circles spin like three interlocked hula hoops, so mesmerizing to watch, and ultimately deliver you to a single destination. All very skillfully done with a classic cinematic thread; it wouldn’t take much to turn this into a film…
The main character, Askur, is in the foreground, this sensitive boy who is always attached to strong women. … a brilliant portrait of contemporary Iceland … and many glorious party scenes, with delightfully annoying characters, crystal-clear surfaces, and underlying deep emotions.
… One can only cheer! And now, stop watching and start reading; this offers a completely different pleasure than any Netflix series can provide. Here is our own young compatriot writing about our life and our country, a real novel about real issues that is also so funny and clever.”
HALLGRIMUR HELGASON, WRITER

“Einar Lovdahl is an exciting new Icelandic voice, celebrated for his authenticity and emotional honesty. With a unique blend of humor and profound emotional depth, Lovdahl invites readers into a captivating, thought-provoking world where the journey of personal growth is intertwined with the burdens of the past.”
DANNY WATTIN, AUTHOR OF HERR ISAKOWITZ’S TREASURE

★★★★
4 STARS
“Very, very good!!!
Beautifully written … a delightful read …”
KRISTIN HULDA, GOODREADS

“A beautiful and tragic contemporary story straight out of Iceland today. It scared me a little how much I related to Askur.”
THORVALDUR SIGURBJORN HELGASON, GOODREADS

★★★★
4 STARS
“An excellent and gripping modern story. The book is structured in a way that the reader gradually learns more and more about where the main character went off course — which heightens the suspense and drives the story forward — while the author entertains the reader with a realistic portrayal of a young man in a dilemma. Some of it is everyday and universal, while other experiences are more painful and personal.”
EINAR JOHANN, GOODREADS

★★★★★
5 STARS
“Crosswind is a heartbreakingly well-written story about how deeply the roots of neglect and indifference can grow, while at the same time, it is witty, ironic, and beautiful.”
VEDIS EVA, GOODREADS

★★★★
4 STARS
“Wow!!! So raw and sincere, real, and it evokes all kinds of emotions! I didn’t want to finish it; it could have been longer! Insanely well-written and structured; the timeline is well set up without being too literal. Highly recommend!”
VALA RUN, GOODREADS

“Truly gripping and sincere writing. A dazzling debut!”
ARI ELDJARN (ABOUT IN THE MIDST OF THE CROWD)