Iceland (American Literature (Dalkey Archive)) [Paperback]

Jim Krusoe (Author), James Krusoe (Author)

Book Description

Series: American Literature (Dalkey Archive) | Publication Date: June 2002

The debut novel from the author of Blood Lake, a collection of short stories that was critically acclaimed and landed on the Los Angeles Times best-seller list. An adventure in the absurd, ICELAND begins with our narrator, Paul, arriving at a mysterious "Institute" to pick out - on doctor's orders - a new internal organ. There he meets Emily, a young, bikini-clad woman hired to stimulate the organs preserved in a nutrient-enhanced swimming pool, and falls in love amidst a flurry of chlorine and kick-boards. In Jim Krusoe's world, this is about as simple as life gets. Paul's brief interlude with Emily sets the course for his extraordinary adventures, which involve a troublesome stain on Paul's rug, a volcano, Paul's marriage and children, six years in a piano bar with a girl named Calypso Sally, and a long stretch in the State Penitentiary. But throughout it all Paul keeps re-imagining that first afternoon by the poolside with Emily, his one true love. ICELAND is a novel of melancholic hilarity that raises serious questions along the way about the nature of memory, imagination, and desire.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Krusoe's whimsical, ironic debut novel (following his story collection, Blood Lake) conjures up Kafka on antidepressants, as Krusoe tracks the decidedly strange adventures of a typewriter repairman named Paul after one of his organs begins to disintegrate. Paul turns to an odd medical outfit known as "the Institute" for treatment and finds himself in a passionate interlude with the beautiful caretaker, Emily, in the swimming pool where the organs are kept. Emily disappears from Paul's life, only to be replaced by a carpet cleaner named Leo, who befriends Paul and then invites him on a trip to Iceland. Leo accidentally falls into a volcano, and Paul takes up with their tour guide, Greta; eventually, they marry and have two children, Inga and Ingo, but Paul's new family is killed in an avalanche. That tragedy sends him back to America, where he begins to hunt for Emily in piano bars, a search that leads to yet another affair, this time with a drug-addicted pianist named Calypso Sally. The financial crunch caused by her addiction transforms the duo into a cut-rate Bonnie and Clyde as they turn to robbery to make ends meet, though Paul still believes he will be reunited with Emily. Krusoe makes the wild plot twists work; his deadpan irony gives Paul a bizarre charm, and his ability to spin over-the-top yarns is superb, especially in the early going. The humor loses some bite down the stretch, but Krusoe's twisted, childlike observations on love, livelihood and the non sequiturs that dominate daily life are consistently entertaining and thought provoking.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When Paul, a typewriter repairman afflicted with "orgagenic disintegration," needs an organ replacement, he visits an institute to pick one out. He has a whirlwind poolside affair with the nubile Emily, who swims among the organs to keep them happy and healthy. Paul then flies to Iceland, nearly dies in a volcano, has another instant love connection, marries, has two children, becomes the typewriter king of Iceland, loses his family in an avalanche, returns to California, has another affair with a bar owner, and is incarcerated. Whew! The only constant is his obsession with Emily, whom he meets again two decades later. This hilarious, highly literary romp employs unusual transitions and a wry, surrealistic tone. Krusoe, a writing teacher who has obviously mastered the craft, is also the author of a short story collection, Blood Lake. A modern mini-Odyssey, Iceland is an absolute delight. Highly recommended for all academic and public libraries. Jim Dwyer, California State Univ., Chico
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press; 1 edition (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564783146
• ISBN-13: 978-1564783141
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,143,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, which is the location of my forthcoming novel from Tin House, Erased. I have spent most of my life since then in Los Angeles. For about 20 years I wrote poetry, and then little by little learned to write prose, first stories, then novels. I'm still learning.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where Kafka Meets Seinfeld: You Will Love It, January 3, 2003

By 

Louis N. Gruber "Author of Jay" (Lexington, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iceland (American Literature (Dalkey Archive)) (Paperback)

Iceland is a real country in the North Atlantic. The protagonist really spends some time there. That is about the only connection this book has with reality as we know it. Somehow you don't mind, because, from page one, the author makes it clear that you are not traveling in ordinary reality. I like to think of the novel as a strange mixture of Kafka, the brilliant writer of morbid frustrations; and Seinfeld, the show that was supposed to be about nothing.

Actually, it was about the trivia of daily life, seen in a new, totally mad, hilarious way. And so is Iceland. From Paul, the struggling typewriter repairman in a world of computers, to his terminal disease which never kills him, to his failing organ that is never identified, to...well, it goes on and on. Rich with symbolism? Yes, but...often there is less than meets the eye. And that is exactly the point.

Iceland is a book about thinking too much, analyzing too much, reading too much into whimsical moments, the "philosophy virus" as Paul sometimes calls it. And so, it is a book that makes you think, and at the same time, laugh. This is a unique novel by a gifted, thoughtful, brilliantly insightful author. I think you will love it. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A surreal journey - and a strangely funny one, July 10, 2002

By 

Smalks (Germantown, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iceland (American Literature (Dalkey Archive)) (Paperback)

The world Jim Krusoe paints is populated with characters so bizarre that I alternately laughed out loud and slapped myself on the forehead in disbelief. Wrapped in a weird and other-wordly humor, he creates characters that stay with you long after you have finished the book. Iceland has moments that are so clear, that ring so true...you'll feel like Mr. Krusoe has been poking around in your cranium looking for material.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A breeze of fresh air!, January 9, 2003

By 

Peter Jacobsson (Göteborg, Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iceland (American Literature (Dalkey Archive)) (Paperback)

On one level, Iceland is a whimsical novel that will make you slap your knee and laugh out loud. Yet what makes Iceland a fascinating piece of literature is that it appears to withstand any form of categorization. It seems to lack genre, blending the realistic and mundane with the absurd and allegorical.

I take this as an indication of an author who is unafraid of taking risks. Krusoe seems uninterested in catering to the need, that many readers have, of being able to categorize a literary composition. By refusing to commit to any genre, Krusoe's writing does not supply the means for the reader to produce a schema. This might frustrate some readers, as they won't have a clue to where the writing will lead them. However, this will stimulate many other readers, as they will regard it as liberation from a dogmatic rule of writing.