A review by hollandadaokurgezer
Salka Valka by Halldór Laxness

3.0

Salka Valka is the first book of Icelandic literature I have read. Although the author is a Nobel Prize winner and deserved an award after this work, I could not like Salka Valka. In my opinion, this is not one of those books that we can claim that everyone will absolutely love. It may be a good choice for those who have a special interest in the subject and place. I would like to briefly talk about the book for those who may be interested. The novel, which begins as the story of a mother and daughter forced to live in a fishing village in the cold geography of Iceland due to lack of money, turns into a love story dominated by political and religious debates after a point. Poverty, ignorance, ignorance of women, Bolshevism, communism, socialism, religious debates and the blinding aspects of love are mentioned in the book. The lack of agitation in the author's narration, beautiful descriptions and simple language make the book a little more readable.

As for why I didn't like the book, even if Salka Valka was originally intended to be portrayed as a strong character unlike her mother, considering the end of the book, I think that the power attributed to Salka could not find a real response. The love plot in the book did not give me a real feeling and it was obvious to me that it was fiction.