Swanfolk

An astonishing mythic novel about a woman’s discovery of a community of swan-people from one of Iceland’s greatest writers.

In the not-too-distant future, a young spy named Elisabet Eva is about to discover something that will upend her very controlled life. Her work serves as the lynchpin of her existence in the city – her friends, social engagements, and late nights all centre around her involvement in the Special Unit – but Elisabet finds herself now taking long solitary walks near the lake.

One day, Elisabet sees two creatures emerging from this lake, half-human, half-swan. She follows them through tangles of thickets to a clearing and into a strange new reality. Elisabet’s walks turn into regular visits to these swan women, who reveal to her the enigma of their secret existence, and their desires. As Elisabet attempts to straddle her two worlds, she is pulled further and further into the monomaniacal, and often violent, quest of the swanfolk and finds her own mind untrustworthy. Ultimately, Elisabet is forced to reckon with both the consequences of her involvement with the strange species and a past life she has been trying to evade.