Ha!

I really enjoy reading about mythology and so I was drawn to this book just because of that, what I got was much much more than what I expected.

***I must advise that there should be a trigger warning for a rather descriptive rape scene.***

The main character, Valdimar Haraldsson, was certainly unlikeable, he's judgemental, arrogant, and egotistical, I certainly didn't connect with him but the way Sjon writes makes it really interesting and it drew me into the story.

The story itself is that Haraldsson is an expert on fish consumption in Norway and gets invited to go on this merchant ship as it travels to the Black Sea. There he meets Caeneus, the second mate of the ship, who tells stories of his mythical past during dinner. The novel goes back and forth between Haraldsson's experience in the ship and Caeneus' mythical stories. They seem to not have much to do with each other for a good part of the book but the ending is what makes it quite funny and amusing.


This was a unique book that I can't quite compare to another, Sjon's writing made it a really great experience, and the mythology connections made it amusing and simply enjoyable.

I'd recommend this to anyone who is a fan of mythology and quirky strange books.