Book Club's 2026 Line Up Announced

The Icelandic Roots Book Club Leader, Heather Lytwyn, has been busy behind the scenes creating a wonderful start to 2026 with a diverse series of books to explore. Here is a quick look at the 2026 lineup so far:

On January 8, Jón Kalman Stefánsson's latest novel, Your Absence is Darkness, is the focus of discussion. In 2025, the book club explored his intriguing novel, Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night, and as a special treat, members were visited by Jón Kalman and his English translator, Philip Roughton. The session was a fast hour, where the two writers discussed the work and how to translate it into another language.

While neither writer will be present to discuss Your Absence is Darkness, the novel is so rich in detail, setting, and characters struggling to make sense of their lives and life itself, that club members have much to discuss. Heather says the novel opens with an intriguing premise, "a character realising he has no idea where he is or who he is." That character becomes the first person we encounter in the story. The second character may or may not be the devil.

If you don't have time to read the book before the club meets, Heather has a tip to get a quick orientation to the work. She suggests searching on YouTube for the video titled: An Evening with Jón Kalman Stefansson (Your Absence Is Darkness).

Heather adds that in the video, "you will see how the writing process for this 'poet turned novelist' is similar to the amnesiac main character who learns who he is – by just letting the story unfold.

In February, Heather says, "We will look at the memoir, Confessions of an Immigrant’s Daughter, by Laura Goodman Salverson (1890-1970).

This story begins in Iceland and follows the novelist's family to Winnipeg, the northern and southern States, and then back to Canada. First published in 1939 & 1949, and republished in 2023 by McGill-Queen's University Press. The memoir won the Governor-General's Award in 1939. Our guest will be the storyteller Karen Gummo."

"In March," Heather says, "we will be joined by Laura Goodman Salverson's granddaughter, Julie Salverson, and her book A Necessary Distance: Confessions of a Scriptwriter’s Daughter.

We will also learn how these two guests, Karen Gummo and Julie Salverson, know each other, and their planned performance in Iceland in 2026."

Heather leads the book club in a new direction for April and May.

"In April & May, we will read two murder mysteries. The first has the familiar setting of the Westman Islands in the page turner Harm by the acclaimed Icelandic author Sólveig Pálsdóttir.

"Then, in May, we will be introduced to the first novel of a series of six, set initially in Iceland, Where the Shadows Lie, by the British author Michael Ridpath. If you go to his website, Michael Ridpath, and sign up for his newsletter, you can keep informed about his publications and receive a free copy of the novella The Polar Bear Killing."

Heather reminds newcomers that they are always welcome, and if you haven't read the book, come anyway and listen to the conversation. It may just lead you to your next favourite book.

Note: If you would like to join the book club discussions, becoming a Samkoma Member of Icelandic Roots is the easiest way to participate. Samkoma Members receive the Samkoma Member Newsletter bi-weekly. The newsletter contains a list of upcoming member events and the Zoom links to join all live events. To sign up, go to the Icelandic Roots Membership page: https://www.icelandicroots.com/membership