THE WOMAN AT 1,000 DEGREESHallgrímur Helgason, translated from the Icelandic by Brian FitzGibbon

Eighty-year-old Herra Björnsson is lying alone in her garage waiting to die, with nothing but a laptop and an old hand grenade to keep her company. One of the most original narrators in literary history, she takes readers with her on a dazzling ride of a novel as she reflects – in a voice by turns darkly funny, bawdy, poignant, and always, always smart – on the mishaps, tragedies and turns of luck that shaped her life. This breathtaking Icelandic novel covers numerous themes – from family, to war, to the turbulence of the twentieth century

and the sheer resilience that was needed to survive – and the questions below will help you explore these themes in greater depth.

Questions for Discussion

1. Herra’s life seems to have slipped by. What does the novel have to say about growing older? For Herra, is the change aesthetic or mental?

2. Herra has carried death with her for years in the form of a German hand grenade. Is it ironic that when she feels ready to die, the hand grenade is broken and her frail body clings to life, despite her ill health and chain smoking? If so, is this important, and why?

3. The issue of family and familial relationships plays a big part in the novel, and although the book is often humorous, it tackles some serious topics. Discuss the role of heritage and legacy in the novel, and whether humour is the right or the most effective vehicle for telling this story.

4. What does the novel say about motherhood?

5. Herra says of herself that she was ‘terribly lonely in [her] generation’. Discuss how she appears as a modern woman, ahead of her time.

6. How does the novel comment on men? What purpose do they serve for Herra? Think of her husbands, her sons and her father in particular.

7. Drawing from this, consider the parallel of women. How does Herra think of them, and in

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what way is this different to how she thinks about herself?

8. Herra casts people from other nations into very rigid stereotypes. Do you think she casts these judgements because she herself has been judged her whole life for never quite fitting in?

9. The Second World War is a very important factor in the novel, and in Herra’s life. To what extent do you think the events in her life were triggered or shaped by her experiences in the war? How different do you think her life would have been had she not suffered as she did?

10. How reliable is Herra as a narrator? If you don’t think she is reliable, what impact does this have on the story and on the reader?

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