Five years after having a heart transplant, 24-year-old Edda is convinced that she got more than just a vital organ in the bargain. At times, she doesn’t know whether her feelings originate with herself, or with her new heart. Edda knows perfectly well that, statistically speaking, she probably isn’t long for this world, so she doesn’t dwell on the future, and has just about resigned herself to the idea of dying. But when she gets to know a single father and his seven year-old son, she realizes that maybe it’s time to resign herself to living instead.

Awards and nominations

• Awarded the New Voices Grant from the Icelandic Literature Center

Reviews

“A strong debut. The story of Edda went straight to my heart. There is good reason to keep a close watch on Hildur Knútsdóttir in the future.”
Sunna Ósk Logadóttir / Morgunbladid Daily

“Heartbeat is a competent and delicately written work ... incorporating the mystical into a feminine narrative.”
Kristjana Guðbrandsdóttir / DV newspaper