the Australian cover for the book. Synopsis: Here

Just finished this wonderful read today, not much to complain except I thought it would be even colder and more depressing, considering it's done a great job opening the story and it's set in Iceland based on a true event. Personally I love the kind of brutal bleakness that numbs one's brain and heart, not that it's not cold (actually I believe most readers would think the words are already gelid enough), but the author Hannah Kent picked up the pace a little bit towards the end of the story and gave the words some more life, a bit of a shame to my taste but to each their own.

Another thing I'm not sure about is the editing, especially the epilogue, I personally think it would be so much better to insert a blank page between the last chapter and the epilogue, an empty space to let out the emotions.

Other than that I must say, I haven't read any english book that matches my taste so well in a very long time. I love the depression of knowing no future, of seeing the love in that one person's eyes moved on to somebody else, of waiting for a lonely and violent death with no peace awaits. I love how the emotions erupt out like the Icelandic volcanoes in the right time at the right place, leaving only the aftertaste that lingers around for ever. I like it so much to the point that I don't even know what I should read next, a Murakami maybe, or maybe some bite-size fictions to refresh my taste buds.

All in all, 8/10 highly recommend

p.s. was listening to Haiku by Stefano Guzzetti from his lastest album At Home - Piano Book (Volume One) when I was reading through the last few chapters, surprisingly matching