Butterflies in November
by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
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Pub Date Dec 09 2014 | Archive Date Dec 09 2014
Grove Atlantic | Black Cat
Description
“Quirky and poetic . . . an extraordinary novelist.” —Madame Figaro
In Butterflies in November, internationally bestselling author Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir crafts a “funny, moving, and occasionally bizarre exploration of life’s upheavals and reversals” (Financial Times).
After a day of being dumped—twice—and accidentally killing a goose, a young woman yearns for a tropical vacation far away from the chaos of her life. Instead, her plans are thrown off course by her best friend's four-year-old deaf-mute son, thrust into her reluctant care. But when the boy chooses the winning numbers for a lottery ticket, the two of them set off on a road trip across Iceland with a glove compartment stuffed full of their jackpot earnings. Along the way, they encounter black-sand beaches, cucumber farms, lava fields, flocks of sheep, an Estonian choir, a falconer, a hitchhiker, and both of her exes desperate for another chance. As she and the boy grow closer, what began as a spontaneous adventure unexpectedly and profoundly changes the way she views her past and charts her future. Butterflies in November is a blackly comic, extraordinarily charming, and uplifting tale of friends and lovers, motherhood, and self-discovery.
“The wintry roads of Iceland—and the metaphorical paths taken and not taken—twist and turn throughout this evocative, humorous novel . . . the beguiling imagery captures the fragile and fleeting beauty of those loved and lost, as well as the possibilities of self-reinvention; of shedding skins, growing wings.” —The Observer
Advance Praise
One of the Top 50 Best Winter Reads: The Independent
A Top 10 Must-Read of November: The Stylist (UK)
“A bright and blissful journey into the darkest month in Iceland. Ólafsdóttir repeatedly smashes our idea of the everyday, only to sew it back together in a magically surprising and beautiful embroidery. A highly original and very charming novel.” —Hallgrimur Helgason, author of The Hitman’s Guide to Housecleaning
"Sadness and humor coexist beautifully in Butterflies In November." —Metro (UK)
“A funny, moving and occasionally bizarre exploration of life’s upheavals and reversals.” —Financial Times (A Best Book of the Year)
“Butterflies in November is funny and wistful, but there’s a darker narrative just beneath the surface. . . . What begins as a tragicomic, quirky tale develops into a very moving, layered and optimistic piece of writing.” —Isabel Berwick, Financial Times
“A whimsical Icelandic journey . . . there are moving moments of sadness and hilarity.” —The Guardian
“The wintry roads of Iceland—and the metaphorical paths taken and not taken—twist and turn throughout this evocative, humorous novel, beautifully translated. . . . It's the humans here who behave like butterflies, landing briefly before fluttering off again, and so the engrossing narrative is patterned: following loosely the road-trip chronology, the narrator wings her way through memories of flirting and flitting between lovers. . . . The beguiling imagery captures the fragile and fleeting beauty of those loved and lost, as well as the possibilities of self reinvention; of shedding skins, growing wings.” —Anita Sethi, The Observer
“An unusual novel. . . . It’s a journey into a mysterious and traumatic past and has many bleak moments, but plenty of funny ones too. . . . We warm to Olafsdottir’s clear-eyed, quirky heroine.” —Daily Mail
“Gorgeously quirky . . . unique and enchanting.” —The Stylist (A Top 10 Must-Read of November)
“Enchanting and moving.” —Paris Match
“Perfect.” —Le Monde
“It is as rare to be hit in the heart twice as to win the lottery. Yet that’s what happened with the new novel by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir.” —Elle (France)
“Quirky and poetic . . . an extraordinary novelist.” —Madame Figaro
“In this novel . . . you’ll recognize the generosity, and the poetic idiosyncrasy that makes Olafsdottir’s style so delightful.” —Le Nouvel Observateur
“A delight.” —La Liberté
"[A] super talented writer . . . Brilliantly written . . . quirky, fun, adorable and bizarre. You’ll savor each page of this book." —Company (One of Five Female Authors You Need to Know)
“Eccentric, fun, serious, unexpected.” —France Culture
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780802123183 |
| PRICE | $15.00 (USD) |
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