Everything is Poison (2022)

Readers who appreciated the #1 New York Times nonfiction bestseller How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (now a major Netflix series) will also enjoy Everything is Poison.

Bara is fascinated by everything that people ingest in order to change how they feel; food, coffee, alcohol, medicine and illegal drugs ... And that’s what she’s going to talk about in the podcast she’s working on, called Poison in a Bottle. In her research, she stumbles on the name of Eirikur Mendez, a Mexican-Icelandic amateur photographer who died at a young age. It’s long been rumored that he had ties to questionable experiments with psychedelics. Bara and Eirikur’s lives intertwine in this gripping story that challenges our perception of reality.

4.5 out of 5 stars “Jonas Reynir is an author with something to say, something that weighs heavy on his heart. It shines through in Everything is Poison, which is chock-full of fascinating ideas. They reach a climax at the end of the story and in that moment we glimpse the big picture behind the work and how strong it is.” RAGNHEIDUR BIRGISDOTTIR, MORGUNBLADID DAILY

FOUR STARS OF FIVE POSSIBLE ASGEIR H INGOLFSSON, STUNDIN

Reviews

An exceptionally entertaining read.

THORGEIR TRYGGVASON, KILJAN/NATIONAL TV

I almost had to refrain from reading too fast.

SUNNA DIS MASDOTTIR, KILJAN/NATIONAL TV

A thrilling story about how the paths of two different characters cross, but also about perception and hallucination and the blurred line between them … Written in such a way that at times it gives one misgivings, not only about one’s existence on Earth, but also about the very chair one sits in. Written with acuity and insight.

DAGUR HJARTARSON, AUTHOR

... an entertaining study on the roles we are intended to play, and how they fit us, and why people must sometimes take measures to silence an uneasy feeling ever lingering in the background. Jonas Reynir is an author who does not wade in shallow waters. As the characters in Everything is Poison he dives far and deep in search of meaning, getting the reader to follow him on a fascinating journey.

THORUNN H. SIGURJONSDOTTIR, BOKMENNTIR.IS

The book discusses, among other things, our perception of reality and the substances we consume to affect that perception, but also disquiet and instability, connection and alienation, affection and familial bonds, the need to discern the truth in something, to long for meaning — it’s a book about being human.

ELIN INGA BRAGADOTTIR

I warmly recommend Everything is Poison and hereby confirm that this is the author’s best novel so far. It will be hard to do better next time.

REBEKKA SIF, LESTRARKLEFINN