Final Thoughts
I think this is one of those books that nobody fully understands and anyone that says otherwise is just trying to sound impressive. It’s a descent into the mad world of Paul, who can both acknowledge that his decision making is flawed but also his world is what it is. The shadow of Klepp all his life and its inevitability for so many people is something that I just don’t have the energy to analyze at the moment. This is also a work that just might need to sit with a person for a while before they totally get it. Perhaps some thought will finish in a few months and I’ll have stronger feelings about Paul and his friends, I’m not sure.

For a more in depth review, follow this link to my book blog: https://beesandbooks.home.blog/2020/04/29/review-angels-of-the-universe-by-einar-mar-gudmundsson/

"Deux heures sonnent.
Je ne sais toujours pas pourquoi je n'ai pas réussi à progresser d'un pas plus assuré le long de cette pente glissante qu'on appelle la vie, ni pourquoi certains la traversent par une grande-rue en ligne droite, tandis que d'autres errent sans fin par des ruelles obscures".

"Le calme infini au fond des yeux.
La tempête au coeur transi du calme plat.
Et le soleil tendait ses rayons jusqu'à mon coeur.
Et la flamme magique l'embrasa..."

En parlant de fous s'échappant de l'asile :
"Ils ne faisaient que courir éperdument, comme si la terre devait s'arrêter quelque part, ou au contraire nulle part ; ou alors peut-être se dirigaient-ils vers la sortie du monde pour pouvoir y entrer à nouveau ?"

I didn't really enjoy it. I didn't like the way it was written, the story was too confusing. I didn't really care for the characters. Honestly, just a no.

This is a gripping, funny, and sad story about a sick boy. As a comment about how mental patients were treated at that time, it's an important work. It's all the more beautiful when you know that the main character actually lived, and was the author's brother.
The first time I read it, was in Icelandic 101. That is not recommended. A crazy person talking about what happens in his head, in a language you are trying to learn, is not a good combination. ("Did he really just say 'open a barber shop on the moon', or have I completely misunderstood some words here...")

Final Thoughts
I think this is one of those books that nobody fully understands and anyone that says otherwise is just trying to sound impressive. It’s a descent into the mad world of Paul, who can both acknowledge that his decision making is flawed but also his world is what it is. The shadow of Klepp all his life and its inevitability for so many people is something that I just don’t have the energy to analyze at the moment. This is also a work that just might need to sit with a person for a while before they totally get it. Perhaps some thought will finish in a few months and I’ll have stronger feelings about Paul and his friends, I’m not sure.

For a more in depth review, follow this link to my book blog: https://beesandbooks.home.blog/2020/04/29/review-angels-of-the-universe-by-einar-mar-gudmundsson/

First: ignore the title. This isn't woo-woo or jesusy: it's a haunting, almost sublime first-person tale of schizophrenia. There, that's out of the way.

The imagery is vivid. Narration is graceful, weaving snappily through time and space and characters. I found myself frequently pausing to take a breath, slow down, and start again a few pages back; pacing myself, letting myself stop and absorb. The story is sad but not in the way you'd expect: the narrator's perspective is curiously distant even though it's first-person. The sadness I felt was for our institutions, our helplessness.

This is probbly a 5-star book. My rating reflects my own ignorance: I'm not Icelandic, and there is too much that simply flew past me. Too much culture, too much background that I'm not even aware of not knowing. I'm glad there's a translation, and am glad to have read it, but I think it may be enjoyed more by more seasoned Icelandophiles.