A teenage girl in Reykjavik is trying to envision the future. The Cold War is raging and getting a fashionable new sweater at a cool store downtown seems just as realistic as the world coming to an end. The only choice anyone seems to have is between the lesser of two evils: either freezing to death in a nuclear winter or getting roasted by radioactive fallout. And neither is exactly what she’s had in mind…

Enlivened by Gerdur Kristny’s incisive style, humor, and joyful storytelling, Smarties is a novel set in the 1980s that brings to life a bygone era and the powerful emotions that characterized it.

REVIEWS

“This is a coming-of-age story, and the person at the center of the universe is neither a child nor an adult, rather a teenage girl in highschool. …Few authors have such a refined style-consciousness as Gerdur does, and besides this, she is among the very funniest… Her humor is not least revealed in her deep understanding of the especially complex friendships of teenage girls, and how thin the line is between sincere friendship and social rejection. …The real world is reflected in the world of these girls who must constantly choose between drowning or being strangled, eating worms or eating spiders, dying from the heat or the cold, being a nazi or being a pervert. Our main character doesn’t care for the options in front of her and her biggest developmental leap is the realization that she doesn’t have to obey – she can choose her own path… A very funny story with more to it than meets the eye – read at least twice.“
Helga Birgisdottir, Frettabladid

“Smarties is well written and entertaining, but at the same time it is an incredibly realistic story about a period in the life of a teenage girl that, as most readers know, can be extremely critical. The author captures well the mood and atmosphere of Reykjavik in the 90’s.“
Vera Knutsdottir, bokmenntir.is

“While the story has both cool and serious undertones, it is also very funny.“
Margret H. Gustavsdottir, DV

“She draws a very effective picture of teenage friendships… there is a smooth surface to this book, but there’s also alot going on under that surface… This is a book that deserves to be read and discussed by the whole family.“
Haukur Ingvarsson, Kiljan, National TV

“The style is engaging and there is lightness and humor, but also seriousness.“
Kolbrun Bergthorsdottir, Kiljan, National TV