A compulsive, propulsive debut about a young woman\'s haunting experience of love, abuse, and sex in an era of pornification by one of Iceland\'s most provocative writers.
She deftly illustrates the failings of psychiatric systems in recognizing symptoms of cruelty, and in powerful, poetic prose depicts the unspooling of a tender-hearted woman desperate to love well..
With astounding clarity and restraint, Hjörleifsdóttir sheds light on the commonplace undercurrents of violence that so often go undetected in romantic relationships.
But in order to do so, she gradually lets go of her boundaries and starts to lose her sense of self.
Lilja desperately tries to be the perfect lover, attempting to meet his every need.
As the newfound intimacy of sharing a shower and a bed fuels her desire to please her partner, his acts of nearly imperceptible abuse continue to mount undetected.
Before she even realizes, she\'s moved in with him, living in his cramped apartment, surrounded by sour towels and flat Diet Cokes.
As a young university student, she is quickly smitten with the intelligent, beautiful young man from school who quotes Derrida and reads Latin and cooks balanced vegetarian meals. 20-year old Lilja is in love.
A compulsive, propulsive debut about a young woman\'s haunting experience of love, abuse, and sex in an era of pornification by one of Iceland\'s most provocative writers
