Featured Book of the Month

Ólafur Gunnarsson - Potter's Field

About the Book:

The sprawling plot reworks historic Icelandic political intrigue into a contemporary international framework, centering on three distinct families who are violently tangled together by ties of blood, extreme guilt, and corporate greed. The broader backdrop of the novel highlights a stark societal chasm:Wealth versus crushing poverty. Immense political power versus absolute political impotence

The Review:

Release Date: January 1, 2000

Publisher: Mare's Nest Pub

Genre: #Fiction #drama #EnglishTranslated #religion #controversy

5 Stars

Ólafur Gunnarsson writes a deep and dramatic tale with Potters Field 

In Potters Field, the reader is brought into the imagination of its author. The original title for this book is Blóðakur, which translates literally to Field of Blood. I am a big fan of Ólafur Gunnarsson and want to read whatever this author writes. This author has a grand imagination, and talent for showing the story. I read once that Ólafur Gunnarsson is among the Iceland's best storytellers, and I totally agree. This author writes his stories in Icelandic, and then has some of them translated into English. I don't think that anything gets lost in translation. The story is dark and explores the paranoid, psychological underside of Icelandic society. A storm is brewing, and in the middle, is a Roman Catholic priest battling intense crises of faith and vocation. He finds himself deeply ensnared in the volatile, escalating conflicts of the three families' wives and children, including a young Serbian foster child caught in the crosshairs. Enter Linda, a deeply religious and visionary stepdaughter, who represents redemption, and transcendence. When I saw the title, Potter's Field, it reminded me of where some are buried if they don't have a name, just a number, when they pass. When I glanced at the cover, I wasn't sure what it was, but when I examined it, it really fit the story, drama, engagement in the story, and unpredictable.  A reader can get lost in the story. I really enjoyed reading this story, and of course other work by this author. More people should read his work, as we are lucky to have it translated so we can read it. This story is a wondrous trail of words. What a mesmerizing story. Yes, it's a long read, but it's worth every single word.