My new fave x

Fav quote: “He’s peeled me like an onion. Surrounded by the leavings of my own sallow skin, I’ve dwindled to nothing, and my eyes smart”

Magma is written in a stream of consciousness style and follows the evolution of a toxic relationship between Lilja, our twenty year old protagonist, and her mentally abusive lover. We gradually watch as Lilja becomes increasingly submissive and unhappy in the relationship as a result of his manipulative behaviour. The author makes an astute observation on the dynamics of toxic/abusive relationships and subtly illustrates the realities and ramifications of cruelty and abuse in romantic relationships.

This book is absolutely phenomenal. It’s just over 200 pages but often the chapters are only half a page, if that, so it can definitely be read in one sitting. This is the second ‘short’ book that I have read recently that has completely and utterly blown me away. I usually prefer long books because I love forming an emotional attachment with characters but even in the short duration of this novella, I became incredibly invested in the wellbeing of our protagonist.

Hjörleifsdóttir is an incredibly talented, poetic writer and the first Icelandic author I have read! Her dissection of the inner workings of a troubled (and clearly mentally abused) character is nothing short of remarkable. The deliberate use of Lilja as our narrator puts the reader in her shoes and was an incredibly powerful tool to adopt for this novella, given the dependency Lilja has on her abuser. I felt Lilja’s pain and insecurities seep through the pages and could completely empathise with her, despite not agreeing with some of her actions/behaviour. It’s difficult to explain but i just felt so personally involved in the story, even though I can’t relate to it at all.

This novella is a hardddd read and I imagine it will be a very triggering one for some.

Thank you so SO much to Picador for sending me a copy of this stunning book