Lungs (2022)

Lungs is a sweeping family history of many generations from different corners of the world, which plays out in contemporary Iceland, but also stretches far into the future, culminating in a virtual reality where these generations mingle. Here, a new tone is struck in Icelandic fiction writing with a magical narrative that effortlessly and smoothly moves between the deepest emotions and conflicts to adventurous moments of joy with a mythical twist – so that even the greatest tragedies benefit from the joy. Relationships between lovers and generations are broken and damaged, but stories and memories illuminate fateful moments in their lives, showing the reader the very spark of life, and capturing the essence of a long life.

… this tale with its international cast of characters is told with such effortless ease that it seems to have poured out of the author in one continuous stream. And the reader enjoys being carried in that stream, enjoys meeting the protagonists at various times in their lives and getting a sense of each of their private troubles … Storytelling verve is the only way to describe the author’s style, evident perhaps most clearly in the fantastical accounts that appear in the stories of ordinary people. Lungs by Pedro Gunnlaugur Garcia is simply put amazing, complex and captivating, brimming with stories and thoughts on attachments, nature vs nurture, and how everyone and everything is connected.

The comparison often cited by readers, One Hundred Years of Solitude, aptly captures the novel’s impact – to me it is a Two Hundred Years of Solitude for our times and a grand novel about family in all its happiness and all its swayings. And what makes it absolutely outstanding is its being "grounded" in the overwhelming experience of the universe. ... Iridescent characters, colorful and amusing anecdotes, unique metaphors, and stories about just everything, love stories, separation stories, stories of failure, stories of other emotional struggles, funny stories, stories peppered with magical-realistic elements … – and great suspense throughout deriving from the family’s secret inner core. In its absolute narrative liberty and the overwhelming joy in the storytelling itself, Lungu recalls extraordinary novels like Nino Haratischvili’s international bestseller The Eigth Life or Mohamed Mbougar Sarr’s Prix Goncourt winning novel The Most Secret Memory of Men or else, looking at HoCa’s program, Ann-Helén Laestadius’ great Sami novel Stolen which was our beloved autumn bestseller last year.

Lungs is an epic story that asks several questions, with considerable intensity. One such question could be, what are families for, do they serve a purpose when the relationships are as strained as they are in this story – a story that is in many ways realistic if we compare it to our own past and contemporary lives and possibly future.

Here everything is ablaze with questions of multiculturalism, gender identity issues, tension between men and women, drug abuse, and technology. At it’s best, storytelling verve and originality abound everywhere and the reader never knows what will happen next. In other Nordic countries there already exists a tradition of authors with experiences and stories from diverse cultural origins, who then write about life in a new country. In this case, Iceland – with a new and fresh perspective. This is exactly what Pedro’s story does. I believe that Icelandic books with foreign roots are even more vital for us Icelanders than for our neighbours. "Perceptive is the guest’s eye" says the proverb and even though Pedro is certainly Icelandic and no guest, he nevertheless brings this element to contemporary Icelandic Literature. The verdict: a modern family epic, brimming with storytelling power and excitement. Magical realism appears as it always does in legends and the literature of old, making any borders irrelevant.

[The author] possesses a stylistic gift and is a fine storyteller … Readers wait with bated breath to see where the story will take them next.

Lungs is a family story, a generational story, that is not only humorous and compelling, but also beautiful, melancholic and heartbreaking. The story flows effortlessly, the prose is sharp and balanced, neither too overblown or minimalistic, and the author weaves together varied elements and characters gracefully.

With a deep understanding of human nature, the fickleness of fate, and an entertaining touch of magic.

A moving novel

Beautiful novel … Lungs is a delight. It received the Icelandic Literary Award, which demands real merit.