Miss Iceland

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A gay man who wants to make theatre costumes but instead endures hard graft and homophobia on fishing trawlers, he is one of several characters stuck in a rut.

Beyond this moment, however, we soon learn how Olafsdottir has tricked us, in much the same way that sexist societal norms have tricked Hekla. A good read, the second by this author that I’ve read (the first one was Butterflies In November), read on our recent holiday in Spain (so a slight contrast in locations). The reviews are also posted on LibraryThing, and 267 people have indicated their appreciation of those reviews. A gay man in a world where homophobia is still illegal and institutionalized, Jon suffers his own form of societal oppression. Other role models are offered by the bitter colleague or her ex-beauty queen friend, sent to warn Hekla.Overall, 60s-Iceland is a very grim place as depicted here, a far cry from today's liberal, progressive Icelandic culture. I've been reading everything possible that is set in Iceland since visiting that lovely country last summer. What we get instead is a woman arriving in Reykjavik with an English copy of Ulysses and a manuscript of her own in her bag, only to come face-to-face with the crooked and unnecessary evils of the world. This book is the story of every woman full to bursting with artistic expression and marvellous potential who is quashed by meaningless patriarchal rules born out of fear, hate, aggression, and sadism. Miss Iceland, through both its gripping language and its romantic execution, leads us to believe that Hekla is our hero, and that we will follow her into greatness.

As I have shared in other posts, I have gone on a bit of a reading spurt of her novels after our second trip to Iceland had to be cancelled due to COVID, and I have found the closest replacement possible by reading about this country. She possesses an inner calm that is at odds with her volcanic namesake, but offers readers an inspirational example of a woman who knows what she wants – whether it’s a man in her life for a few months, or eight hours a day for writing – and pursues her desires with neither doubt nor apology. Hekla spends the majority of her time with either Isey or Jon John, listening to their plights and their misery; slowly being ground down by the realities of life for anyone who was not born male and heterosexual. Rafn Rafnsson, the new chief executive of the Miss Iceland contest, "in hopes of diversifying the field of contestants beyond the statuesque blonde with striking blue eyes that has become the Icelandic stereotype", said "There is no Miss Iceland stereotype. Hekla is offered and encouraged, more than once, to compete for the crown of Miss Iceland, a more achievable goal and fitting role for a woman.The winner was 21 year old Elísabet Hulda Snorradóttir, a second year student at the University of Iceland, majoring in Chinese Studies. I wondered if Ísey was included in the story to show the comparison between those that fall into stereotypical categories and those that don’t? When a man lives with a volcano, he knows there's glowing magma underneath," the poet comments after learning about Hekla's writing. It was fascinating to read about a time in Iceland I knew nothing about, newly independent and trying to carve its own way in the world but expecting people to buckle down and fulfil their gender and heteronormative roles.