Quake (2015)

... powerful story of memory, identity, and the legacy of violence...

Quake is to be applauded for its ambitious approach to exploring our understanding of ourselves as if we were starting with a blank canvas… The journey of discovery that we share with the central protagonist, Saga, who, after having her memory wiped, is painting her canvas, is deeply involving, emotionally draining, but also exciting… This is an intimate and unforgettable read.

For all the philosophical quandaries that Quake raises, the book never feels contrived or solipsistic. In Matich's English translation, Saga's shifting understanding of herself is rendered in a language that is straightforward yet poetic, for Jónsdóttir understands that human life is inherently imbued with poetry.

The novel of the year.

Here is a whole gallery of interesting characters that spring into life from the page ... Jonsdottir skilfully juggles concepts of self-image and reality, of the surface in peoples’ relationships and what lies hidden beneath it. Quake is a poignant and riveting novel, without doubt one of the best books of the year. Jonsdottir has for many years demonstrated her supreme narrative skills, but here her grasp of style is more powerful than ever before; there’s an effortlessly beautiful ebb and flow between thought and reality, past and present, with interesting and profound ideas about what it means to be a human being living in society with others. The reader cannot help being swept away by it.

Outstanding work.

What a storyline! ... in no time I was immersed in this, one of Jonsdottir‘s best books that, it goes without saying, rides the crest of the 2015 wave of publications.

Quake is a complex family drama as well as a mystery novel that thoroughly develops the theme of what it’s like to be unable to trust your own mind and body ... A fusion of literary and plot-driven genres that is a thoroughly entertaining read and will appeal to a diverse readership.

Existential seismic activity What are we if not a composite copy of the people in our lives? What methods do we use to reconcile the expectations we place on them – and thus on ourselves? These threads are at the centre of Audur Jonsdottir’s latest book, Quake, which tackles the fundamental questions of subjectivity and the roles it fulfils in society with others. The name of the central character, Saga (which is also the Icelandic word for history), is thus symbolic for how the writer works with and manipulates the historical and shared human conflict that is close to us. ... Saga discovers, by diving into her memory, that her relationships with loved ones depend not only on memories but also on the suppression of them. Just as earthquakes are a reminder that beneath the organised surface lurk bubbling fires and substances waiting for an opportunity to explode from the bedrock, the writer uses an epileptic person to present the anarchy that characterises our existence. Saga’s vulnerability towards her own body becomes a discussion point about how little control man has over his life and what methods he uses to maintain the delusion that he is in charge. ... Strong characterisation The style is clear and unaffected, and the presentation of epilepsy and its consequences is a clever way for the writer to work with a more lyrical and fractured text ... In Quake Jonsdottir shows yet again that she is extremely skilled at creating complicated characters – to rub them down until what’s left is a raw, defenceless and yet so very pitiable human being.