The Night Guest

A novella by
Hildur Knútsdóttir
Translated by Mary Robinette Kowal
A Tor Nightfire book, 2024
Originally published in Icelandic as Myrkið milli strarnanna

This slim volume is an unsettling glimpse into the darker side of modern Reyjavík.

Iðunn, a thirty-something office worker, is having health issues: waking up feeling fatigued, with mysterious bruises and a general sense of unease. She sees various doctors and tries remedies suggested by friends. When she accidentally leaves her fitness watch on when going to bed she is surprised to discover that she’d taken 40,000 steps in the night!

As the story unwinds, strange things continue to happen to Iðunn, and the ending is equally bizarre. There are a fair amount of Reykjavík backdrops where the action takes place—the Grandi district is featured—on some of my favorite walks.

While it isn’t great literature, I did get a kick out of it. A great airplane book  (to be read on a flight to Iceland?) Hildur has written several books for children, she also has another adult title, The Shape of Stones (2025). Kowal’s translation is fresh and modern.

A marginal recommendation.