After previously publishing both novels and poetry, Sigurbjorg Thrastardottir has released her eighth book of poetry Vertebrates, which is divided into five sections. The poetry here considers, among other topics, humanity’s undying efforts to stand upright, the power of nature and the perils of intimacy. The poems are marked by levity and a keen sense of figurative language, though below the surface simmers the eternal solemnity of death. Sigurbjorg was awarded the Tomas Gudmundsson Prize for her novel The Saga of Sól (Sólar saga) and was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize for her narrative poem Candlelight Vigils.