History. A Mess.

Early in this rewarding novel from Pálsdóttir, the author’s first English translation, the unnamed protagonist makes a startling discovery while transcribing a diary for her thesis, learning that her subject, a 17th-century British artist known only as S. B., was a woman, making her the earliest known prominent female painter in Western art. But after writing 600 pages and relocating with her husband, Hans, from England to their homeland of Iceland, the narrator finds a previously missed diary entry that throws her discovery into doubt. Pummeled by stress and intense headaches that result in hallucinations, she steals the rogue page, takes refuge in a closet in her new apartment, and tries to figure out her next step, all as family and friends welcome her back to town. Pálsdóttir writes with the hand of a mystery author and the mind of a postmodernist, teasing out her protagonist’s problem while playing with literary forms, fragmenting timelines, and injecting fierce irony. This is a complex, winding tale; the ride is rich with character and rumination. (July)