I stop the car at a red light on Miklabraut. Put on the hazards and turn up the music. As the green light flashes over the street the honking starts and the drivers behind me compete to push their way into the next lane over. The afternoon traffic swells. Dads and moms getting home even later, making yet another excuse at preschool pickup. Losing their grip on invisible time bombs, the order of the day upended. I look straight ahead, push my shoulders back, turn it up a little more. Feel how the music and car horns strain at the back of my neck, feel it in my jaw.
Water and oil are irreconcilable materials, opposites that will never mix together but rather exist in a perpetual state of opposition. The novel Oil tells the story of six women who do not conform to their environments, cannot help but break with repeated patterns and the cycle of routine, can do nothing but throw oil on the fire.
Difficult women clash against society, expectations, and one another in this vibrant, polyphonic novel by a groundbreaking writers’ collective.
Nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize 2021
JURY’S COMMENTS
“A spirited narrative about six women who rebel against conventional gender roles. A fascinating polemic on the shackles of convention and attempts to break the chains of the paternalistic mindset. The work is unusual in that six authors work together to tell a single story from the perspective of six women, who are all, however, connected among themselves in various ways. Despite the varying styles and distinct authorial voices, a strong, unified narrative emerges that discusses the pressing issues of our time.”
R E V I E W S
“The book’s structure is unusual and refreshing … the texts are captivating and extremely compelling, effortlessly ushering the reader into the world of the story.”
RAGNHILDUR THRASTARDOTTIR, MORGUNBLADID DAILY
“Oil is a uniquely thrilling work… The six women are of varying ages, the oldest a retiree and the youngest barely in her twenties. They are all flawed and have come to a turning point in their lives. Each chapter takes its own bent and leaves the reader with the right amount of curiosity to know more about the character before the perspective shifts. … One of the book’s larger themes is cataclysmic global warming, the disastrous effects of climate change for the coming generations, questioning what will become of the world under this looming catastrophe. … Oil is the most remarkable book I’ve read so far this season. Each chapter offers a breath of fresh air and brings something new to the discussion. The work is a meditation on the future of the world, spotlighting the position of women in Iceland and just enough provocation for the reader through diverse styles and characters who are written with depth and acuity.”
REBEKKA SIF STEFANSDOTTIR, LESTRARKLEFINN
“I was so captivated by the book that I completely disappeared into it… the characterization is fantastic … a lot of power in these women … I found everything about this book a breath of fresh air … a book that you can dig into over and over again … definitely something I would want to reread … you just want to devour it and lick your fingers afterwards…”
SKUFFUSKALD
