Customer Reviews

Iceland (American Literature (Dalkey Archive))

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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.

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.

I found this book very fun to read and very unpretentious... That is, if you are willing to just go with it. There are so many symbolic occurrences that after awhile they become pretty comical. It did worry me a little at first, but by the middle or so of the second chapter it took off. I'm still racking my brain to piece it all together and can't quite get it. Usually that's annoying for me, but when it comes down to it I really don't care. I enjoyed reading it that much. It reminds me of the Icelandic saga's that Paul, the main character, reads about. In those stories, you know something bad will happen in the end but you still want to know how. And those are the most interesting parts in Iceland. There are little saga's throughout the whole that end in tragedy. At points I did feel like the author was toying with me a bit... but at the same time it seemed he let you know it. I wouldn't call that pretentious at all. What it does do, however, is add to the book's humor and oddness which I enjoyed. If you like Kurt Vonnegut, Nicolas Mosely and Kafka... then this is your bag, because it's a good blend of the three.

jim krusoe's iceland pulls us far from the linear, upwardly mobile, have-to-hurry-to-get-to-the-next-meeting life that so many americans lead. his meditations bring out the poetry of such things as the stain in a carpet, or the scar on the girl youre naked in a swimming pool with, surrounded by real live organs. ... theres enough imagination in this book, coupled with original prose, to qualify it as virtual travel, to list it not with the book reviews but with the accounts of exotic destinations. paul, the novel's narrator, takes his cues from the idiosyncratic, the arcane, the things we have to squint to see in the background of a painting on a wall, and lets this be the guiding light. a great book. can not say enough good things about it.

-jamie brisick

This is a brilliant book. I've been reading it on the subway in NYC in the morning and it's perfect for commuting, especially the Dantesque Greta/Virgil descent into the volcano/hell chapter, just like the L train! The writing manages to be tight and concise while also pushing at the boundry of conventional narrative. A wonderful book. Check out Blood Lake, also by Krusoe, to see the same magic worked in the short story form.

This book is great. A lot goes on. Typewriter repairs, organs, volcanos, the whole works. It made me want to go to Iceland. And then I went and it was awesome.

Iceland the country 5 stars.
Iceland the book 4 stars.

Sorry Iceland (the book) Iceland the country just eggs it.

Several years ago, I was a student in Jim Krusoe's creative writing class at SMC where he caused a little uproar the first night of class. It seemed that Mr. Krusoe didn't award A's nor did he encourage the authoring of science fiction or fantasy in place of writing assignments. Jim Krusoe has big furry eyebrows that twist up at the arch. Jim Krusoe also loves writing and writers and written works-- you can just tell. Poetry is his main bag, and by reading Iceland, his commitment to poetry and short fiction becomes apparent. That is why I think some people aren't going to like this book. Parts of it are written using short story composition techniques, and the ending is very similar to the anti-ending of short stories, and that is hard for some people to swallow.
All in all, it is not as ambiguous a book as other reviewers might peg it to be. It is beautiful and at times beautifully hilarious and a tremendous joy to read, especially for those interested in the craft of writing. Mr. Krusoe constantly intrigued me with his details, memories, characters & events. Where did he get the idea for Emily's pet duck who became trapped in a pond when it froze over and was consequently helpless to roaming predators who feasted on its innards leaving a gutted bowl with webbed feet?

After reading the 'real' reviews, I am reminded that the reader is always in danger of seeking far too much from symbolism than the author may have meant in the first place. But after re-reading Iceland, I think the professional reviewers phoned it in and passed over the fact that nearly every paragraph, definetly every page has some nugget - that describes the human condition, meditations on the worth of human life, the validity (or lack) of it over anything else, and how quickly our own memories will be forgotten when we are gone. Definetly read it a second time - it is like a crossword puzzle trying to figure out what each character means both literally and symbolically. Writers like Jim Krusoe have their craft honed to a fine point and they'll cut you with it as many times as they see fit.