In recent years I have found myself drawn to all things Iceland. No idea why, but there is something about the country that has drawn me in. Hence the reason I read this book. Animal Life is full of descriptions of Iceland and discusses the long nights in the winter and the short nights in the summer. It makes me want to visit even more, especially with the option of seeing the Northern Lights.

The story in Animal Life is more of a narrative, as there is little dialogue. The narrative is not told in a straight line. Dómhildur finds herself going through her grandaunt’s papers and trying to make sense of them. I often found myself feeling the same way. Her grandaunt was a midwife who found herself interested in the similarities of humans to animals (and even plants). In some ways, the grandaunt was ahead of her time with her thoughts and hypotheses. And as such, she was often disregarded by her peers.

Overall, this story is an interesting read and one to make you think about humans and how we impact those around us.

3.5 Stars

Dýja is a midwife living in Reykjavík. She inherited the apartment from her grandaunt Fífa who was also a midwife. In the dark days of December leading up to Christmas, when she is not at work, Dýja spends time pouring over letters and manuscripts written by her grandaunt which consist primarily of reflections on birth, death, and aspects of human nature.

This is not a traditionally structured novel. There is little linear plot; instead, the book is more of a collection of philosophical musings. This lack of structure is intentional; it mimics the chaos of the manuscripts. Reading the book is like Dýja’s trying to find connections in her grandaunt’s writings. Towards the end, Dýja concludes: “what I had previously experienced as chaos and disjointedness was precisely what constituted the idea behind the work, its goal and purpose . . . the structure of the work, with its peculiar collage of fragmented elements, is consistent with our grandaunt’s ideas about the nature of humanity and their unpredictable behaviour.”

I found that I enjoyed the book if I stopped stressing about trying to find “logical continuity in the writing” and just focused on the grandaunt’s thoughts. She was a woman ahead of her time in her thinking about man’s relationship with the environment; she comments on “the melting of the world’s largest water reservoir, the Arctic ice and glaciers” and “the depletion of forests” and “the emission of toxins and pollution in the seas of the world,” concluding that “the animals of the earth needed to be protected from the most dangerous animal of them all – the human beast.”

The comparisons between humans and animals I found especially interesting. After comparing humans to various other species, Fífa concludes that “the one who calls himself the master of all creatures is in fact the most vulnerable of all animals, the most fragile species, more fragile than a porcelain vase, than a bird’s egg, the most fragile of the fragile on the planet.”

Despite some rather negative comments about humans, the novel is hopeful: “in the middle of darkness, the heart of darkness, there is light.” Though a human, “the most sensitive creature on earth never actually recovers from being born” and “all men are damaged by life” and “It’s difficult to understand another person . . . [and] even more difficult to understand . . . one’s self,” Fífa believes it is important to be courageous and “’to rejoice . . . in our good fortune at having been born.’”

The book will not appeal to everyone, particularly those who prefer a plot-driven narrative. Personally, though I can’t say that I enjoyed all parts, I did find myself reflecting on some of Fífa’s reflections, the most important of which may be that “ultimately everything is connected.”

Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

I find it hard to review this book. On one hand, and most importantly, I found it to be an enjoyable and engaging read.

On the other hand, I don’t know that I really get it at a deeper level. I found the structure, both of the text and the formatting, somewhat confusing at times - although I think that may be part of the intended effect. For me though, this was a lovely read even without necessarily getting into any deeper meaning.

Animal Life was a great atmospheric novel set in Iceland. I loved learning more about midwives, but I wish there was more about her grandaunt's conversations with them.

Domhildur is a midwife, a profession that runs in the family - in fact, she was named after her grandaunt who was also a midwife, and whose life Domhildur reflects on during a storm in the days before Christmas.

Going into the book, I had expected an account of a life that is so closely linked to life itself, but this book reflected on so many other things - light, darkness, death, climate change, animal rights… But what bothered me was that none of it went really into any depth. Domhildur roughly summarises the contents of her grandaunt’s manuscripts with some personal memories thrown in here and there and interrupted by her meterologist sister’s warnings about the weather. I feel like I would have liked to read the actual memoirs of the midwives who the grandaunt talked to much more than this story, because although well-written, it didn’t touch upon the daily life of a midwife in such a wild nature and environment as rural Iceland as much as I had hoped it would.

3/5 stars.

An intriguing tale of a midwife- the latest in a long line- in Iceland who discovers a set of manuscripts in her deceased grandaunt's condo. Domhildur lives with her grandmother and grandaunt's things, unable to sort them out. Her sister calls regularly (she's a hoot) but most of her interaction with others is reserved for the new parents she works with. It's these scenes that kept me reading because while her grandaunt's work on animals, while philosophical, was difficult to follow. She's an interesting character, as are some of the others such as the electrician who is struggling with a new baby and his wife deep in post partum despair. Then there's the tourist, who chose the visit Iceland from Australia for Christmas. I think I would have enjoyed this more had there been less of the grandaunt's writing which I suspect will resonate with others more than it did with me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.

This book wasn't what I expected, although it had some interesting moments, not much was happening and because of that I couldn't finish it. The plot didn't grab me like I needed to keep reading it.
Although it wasn't my type of book, it might be someone else's.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Animal Life is a beautiful, distracting, thought provoking read. I have never been to Iceland, it is top of my travel wish list, and am often drawn to novels set there. This was such a treat in that regard, so atmospheric and descriptive, the author paints a vivid picture of the dark December days.

After the first couple of chapters, I stopped trying to figure out where this book was going and just leant in the musings on birth and death and all in between. The writing is really gorgeous particularly about birth, light and traditions and I have been thinking about animals in a different light since reading. There is almost a dream like quality to this book, a dream that stays with you and the highlights remain vivid while the rest falls away. This was my first time reading anything from this author and I purchased one of her earlier books, Miss Iceland as soon as I finished reading Animal Life, I love how Audur Ava Olafsdottir writes, and I am eager to read more from her.

A really beautiful read and perfect for this time of year as an antidote to the commercial madness of December.

I liked the book, it was a graceful and smooth read even though the plot is a little thin. I think I will look for other books from Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC

In the days before Christmas, Dómhildur gives birth to her 1,922nd child. Her family is in the business of beginnings and endings; on her mother’s side, she hails from a long line of midwives, and on her father’s side, from a long line of undertakers. She even resides in the apartment that she received from her grandaunt, a midwife known for her out-of-the-box practices. Dómhildur finds decades’ worth of letters and manuscripts buried among her grandaunt’s junk as a dreadful storm barrels into Reykjavk. When her worried meteorology sister phones and her new neighbor comes over, Dómhildur hides in her grandaunt’s archive where she finds weird and lovely insights on life, death, and the essence of humanity. In Animal Life, lafsdóttir crafts a charming story that, despite the depths of an Icelandic winter, is full of optimism for spring thanks to her distinct warmth and humor.

The principal themes of the book are midwifery, childbirth, life, death, light, and darkness. A wonderful homage to one person’s life is Animal Life. However, I thought the author included too many ideas. This book addresses other topics like animal rights, which surprised me because I had assumed it would be about birth and death. I’m not sure how to read the narrative because it explores light in life in many different ways. It is both well-written and stimulating. Despite the lack of a conclusion, I found it to be entertaining. Such poetic, lovely writing. While reading, I got chilled. I liked this book, although it took me a while to read it because I usually like more plot-driven stories. Although the vignettes themselves are full of insight into life, death, and both human and animal behavior, I always prefer more character development, which I felt this book lacked.

I found the beginning of the novel to be a little sluggish, but as it progressed, I found myself engrossed in the language as it described her interactions with the people around her and their straightforward experiences. Even while this isn’t a significant tale, it does make you feel a little closer to those around you. This book offers a nice examination of the sociological effects of family on people and their growth, in my opinion. The amusing tales were entertaining, especially Domhildur’s failed tour guide attempt. Since the book is brief, I was able to focus on enjoying the individual pieces rather than hoping for a complete whole. In the end, the novel enchanted me, and I had a great time reading it.

This is a unique book. I love reading authors from around the world, but I sometimes wonder if certain things get lost in the translation of their work. In this case, I fear that may be so.

There is not much linear narrative here, but I believe the lack of structure to be cleverly intentional — it mimics the chaos of Dómhildur's grandaunt's manuscripts. There are other subtle ties between the themes in the manuscripts and Dómhildur's present day experiences, perhaps the coincidence of her calling the electrician when it's clear later that his wife is in distress. I loved the insights into the Icelandic language as well as the history of midwives, and I do feel that the story does all "work" together despite its choppiness.

I can't say that I loved the book, but I didn't dislike it either. I personally enjoy a bit more connection to my characters, and that's not really what this book is striving for. In any case, it's a short book packed with some lovely detail and thought-provoking musings, so I recommend giving it a try if you're up for something untraditional.

📕When my coworker recommended Butterflies in November, I bought all of her books. I really liked the darkness, straightforwardness in each of them. I was quite excited when I saw that she is writing another one. What started as promising left me but confused and in hurry to connect the dots like MC was trying to do with her great aunt’s manuscripts
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📗During the hospital chapter of my Spanish studies, I came across with “dar a luz” for the first time. Giving birth was described as giving light. I was mesmerized by the idea. In Turkish, it’s plain giving birth like in English. I thought associating birth with light was such a powerful way to use language. I was pleasantly surprised when this book starts with the same discussion but from the word midwife: Light mother! It’s much nicer word than midwife in my humble opinion
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📘I got bit lost in the second part of the book when great aunt’s manuscripts were introduced. I wasn’t too much surprised by a midwife wanting to compare human and its development timeline to those of other animals and diving but more into notion of dark and light especially if it’s ingrained in your language. However I wished that there was bit more smooth transitions between topics. Just like niece struggling to put parts together and eventually shelving the whole plan, I tried to put pieces together, finished the book, and put it aside wondering

Domhildur is a midwife practicing in Iceland in her long family linage of midwives, the one before her being her grandaunt. She even lives in her grandaunt’s house and on her time off from work, she compiles her grandaunt’s journals and letters considering if her grandaunt meant to write a book.
This book isn’t meant to tell a linear story with a plot. Both Domhildur’s and her grandaunt’s stories are interesting but seem random if the reader is looking for a plot. The anecdotes themselves are rich in meaning around birth, death and human and animal behavior but I always love more character development which I felt was missing in this book. I wanted to know more about Domhildur, her sister and the mysterious tourist upstairs. I enjoyed the humorous anecdotes especially Domhildur’s attempt at being a tour guide. Fortunately the book is short so I just enjoyed the stories within the story without expecting one cohesive tale.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the Advanced Reader Copy.

This was such beautiful book, I will be hand selling this to a lot of people. I have read all Audur Ava Olafsdottir's books, she is such a multi faceted writer. She writes with humour and yet manages to describe the fascinating history of Icelandic midwives, touch on climate change and post partum depression and weave a lovely meditation on light into the background.

3.5★

I liked Ólafsdóttir’s writing in Miss Iceland, and I was eager to read her newest novel, Animal Life. My expectations were high, of course. Although I liked the writing again, I didn’t quite feel the same for the whole novel.

Dómhildur is a midwife. She is from a family of midwives on her mother’s and undertakers from her father’s side. Her deceased great-aunt was a midwife too. Now she lives in her old apartment. In the days before Christmas, when a terrible storm is approaching Reykjavík, she discovers a box with her letters and manuscripts. Dómhildur finds out a few things she didn’t know about her great-aunt.

There is little plot. The novel is mainly a reflection on midwifery, birth, life, death, light, and dark. Animal Life is a great tribute to one person’s life. Although I felt the author opened too many themes. I expected this novel to be about birth and death, but it also covers other themes like animal rights.

The writing is beautiful. Readers who enjoy reflecting novels and are interested in themes like those mentioned above could like this.

Release date: 06 Dec 2022. Thanks to Grove Atlantic for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own.

🇮🇸Animal Life - Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir

Dómhildur is a midwife, in a family with a history of midwives. Dómhildur lives in her greataunts apartment, whom was also a midwife. However, she was a midwife with slightly unconventional methods. As Christmas approaches, and Dómhildur prepares to spend another Christmas delivering babies, a storm is said to be approaching Reykjavik. Before the storm Dómhildur discovers a box which her greataunt left behind. The box contains letters and articles from her great-aunts life. Eventually Dómhildur discovers three manuscripts. All manuscripts have different titles but seem to explore the same ideas, just in different levels of hope or dispair. The manuscripts from her grandaunt examine birth, death and human nature.

I thought this was a beautiful book, and such a different way to tell the story of birth, death and a family. It definitely wasn't what I expected going into it but I definitely enjoyed it. Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir has been on my to read list for a while now, and I'm so glad I finally got around to it. I can't wait to read more stuff.

For some reason, a few of my recent reads have featured midwives, and Animal Life fits the pattern. Dómhildur is a midwife in a Reykjavik hospital and comes from a long lines of midwives in her family. Closest to her, perhaps, was her childless great-aunt, now deceased but previously a midwife, whose mantle has settled on her shoulders.

In more than one way, really. Dómhildur lives in her great-aunt’s former apartment, which is filled with furniture and furnishings that are decades out-of-style. The electrical lighting is sketchy with several lights refusing to function. Her apartment sounds disjointed and cluttered.

In early winter, she is spending time delivering babies at the hospital and contending with phone calls from her meteorologist sister, who is myopically focused on an incoming winter storm. An apartment upstairs is used as a rental for tourists, and she has several interactions with the Australian, who is desperately trying to see some of the country during the limited daylight hours.

Dómhildur is focused on each family that crosses her path as she delivers their baby, and the novel veers in to the surrounding issues such as post-partum depression and stillbirths. She even comes across the couples who have their own odd focuses during such a key time, like the couple who wished their baby to be born on a certain date to match another family member’s birthday; instead, since that didn’t happen, the father tries to coerce Dómhildur into marking down the birth time to reflect the same number.

Set against this back-drop, Dómhildur has been piecing together the writings, the semi-novels or musings, of her deceased great-aunt. At the end of her great-aunt’s life, she asked Dómhildur to watch after a box in her apartment, which turned out to be filled with an unknown number of novels, some pen pal letters to a friend, and a rejection letter from a publisher. Dómhildur sets out to make order out of chaos and piece together the novel (or novels) as intended, but she constantly runs up against sections that are in an unclear order, references in her letters to a pen pal that throw the timing of other pages into disarray, and the like.

Much of her great-aunt’s writings are musings on life and death, light and darkness, and in a country that knows both extreme light and dark with seasonal shifts, how could those not be ever-present?

While I overall enjoyed the novel, it was not as gratifying as the author’s prior novels that I have read. The section on the great-aunt’s writings was quite disjointed, which was purposeful, but didn’t click for me quite as much as similar approaches have taken in earlier novels. The topic of midwifery and childbirth featured prominently and isn’t an area that particularly appeals to me. I felt the novel was missing some of the self-effacing humor and irony that I enjoyed in the other novels; however, Animal Life does carry through similar musings and oddities of character that make the author a great storyteller.

All-in-all, I would recommend this novel to others but not with the same level of excitement I had for her prior novels. I very much look forward to and hope for another novel by this author in the years ahead!

Set in Iceland, this book explores the life of a midwife and looks at how her life has been influenced by those around her, especially her family.

At first, I found it hard to maintain interest in the book but as I persisted I found it to be very engaging and lively. The story of the midwife's aunt was fascinating especially the content of the letters that she wrote throughout her life. For me, this book is a pleasant look at the sociological impact of family on people and their development.

In the end, I was charmed by the book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

There's no real story about animal life except for whales which was a very brief section. It's really about midwife's in Iceland. We have a midwife that's living with an Aunt and she tell's a story of this aunt and what she's written before she's died. Everything is between light and darkness. Everything also contradicts itself and then again offsets it. It's a confusing read but it makes somewhat sense.

A little chaotic poetry collection that reads a bit like slice of life, memoir and dedication to a deceased loved one. Started out a bit slow for me personally, but later in the story i started getting caught up in the writing with how the relationships to the people around her and their simple stories were told. This isn't a big story, but it does leave you feeling slightly warm and Connected to people around you.
3.75 stars rounded up!
Also thanks to netgalley for this early copy!