Book Review of Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

Strangely, this seal manages to make a rock look comfortable!

UPDATED: 2/5/2023

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296 pages, originally published in 2004 in Icelandic; published in 2013 in English

YOU MAY ENJOY THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE:

literary fiction * novels about road trips * modern Icelandic literature

TRAVEL INSPIRATION:

Butterflies in November takes place in Iceland, initially in the capital city of Reykjavík and then along the southern to eastern leg of Iceland’s Ring Road. Having driven the entirety of Ring Road ourselves in Summer 2018, this novel did a great job evoking that journey and so is a must-read for anyone planning on taking that trip or wanting to reminisce!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

Born and raised in Iceland, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir currently resides in Reykjavík where she is an assistant professor of art history at the University of Iceland. She lived in Paris while obtaining her art history degree from Sorbonne. At present, Auður has written 6 novels. Butterflies in November was her second novel. She has received several literary awards for her novels and is also a playwright and poet.

Note: because the Icelandic tradition is to use patronyms instead of family names (i.e., Ólafsdóttir literally means ‘Olaf’s daughter’), it is appropriate to refer to Auður by her first name. On pronunciation: the letter ‘ð’ (capitalized Ð) is pronounced like a ‘th’ sound so her name approximates to oi-th-ur. The letter is called ‘eth’ (just like the letter b would be bee).

REVIEW OF Butterflies in November BY Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

In many ways we all read books through our own mindset and experiences, which is why a book we don’t particularly like as a teenager may resonate and become a favorite decades later. So, the reason I decided to read Butterflies in November is important context. In Summer 2018 we traveled to Iceland for the first time and took a 10-day road trip around the Ring Road. We fell in love with the country - its complicated and at times stark beauty, the all-night daylight during midsummer, and the ability to pretend the rest of the world has completely disappeared in the isolated and minimally populated parts of the country away from Reykjavík.

So, we planned a second trip to visit the remote Westfjords on an 11-day road trip in late June 2020. Due to COVID, we ended up having to cancel the trip (though we look forward to rescheduling it when it is safe to travel again). In the weeks leading up to our once-departure date, I decided to pick up this work of fiction that is centered around a bit of a Ring Road road trip of its own to travel vicariously.

Foss a Sidu crashes down from above and feeds into this quiet stream.

Of all the books set in Iceland, I couldn’t have picked a more perfect one; Butterflies in November immediately transported me back to our prior trip. I could envision many portions of the country exactly as described by the author. The end result: I was left feeling both satisfied by this vicarious travel but also pining all the more to return to Iceland.

Charming is not a word I think of or use often, but it was the first word that came to mind when I finished reading this novel. I returned to the bookflap as I often do after finishing a book to see how someone else described it and lo-and-behold, the first sentence describes this “charming story”.

Butterflies in November is full of incredibly original and eccentric characters and plot lines. At its core, the main character suddenly finds herself at a crossroads in life with a confluence of several factors: her marriage falling apart, an affair that she is lukewarm to at best, and sudden childrearing responsibilities when her good friend has health issues. When the main character learns she has won a new vacation cabin, she takes this as a sign that she might as well take her belated summer vacation (in the middle of winter) and hits the road with Tumi, her friend’s son, in tow.

What follows is a series of adventures and misadventures as the two of them brave the icy Icelandic Ring Road with minimal daylight hours. By the end of the novel, it’s not clear whether the main character has sorted her life out but it is clear that she is now fully in control of her own destiny as opposed to a bystander in her own life. The road trip setting is a perfect analogy for the journey the character is taking in life, replete with bumps and bruises.

What was most fascinating to me about this novel is that it managed to tackle serious issues - alcoholism, infidelity, a child with disabilities - but in a semi-playful way that made poignant points without being overly heavy. That is Auður’s greatest artistry.

While I haven’t read any other books by this author, I am definitely planning on reading more!

DISCUSS Butterflies in November

If you’ve been to Iceland, which parts of this novel most evoked its dramatic scenery for you? For me, the descriptions of the desolate lava fields put me squarely back in the country. If you haven’t been to Iceland, did this novel pique your interest?

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