First published in 2020

105 pages

LGBTQ, Fiction, Literary

This is an LGBTQ+ literary fiction book. It's quick, but the poetic prose is powerful. It tells the story of Boulder, a cook on a merchant ship. She meets a woman named Samsa and falls deeply in love. Samsa starts a life with Boulder in Reykjavik, and although Boulder is less enthused about it, she doesn't know how to say no. We watch has their relationship develops and morphs into something less than ideal.

This is a unique queer story, depicting an LGBTQ+ relationship in a way that I haven't seen in mainstream media. It's gritty and dysfunctional, Boulder is always shockingly honest about how she feels about her situation. I love Eva Baltasar's writing style. It is poignant in its word choice and how it depicts the world. Her protagonists are starkly honest and self-reflective, making you feel like you know things you are not supposed to know about these people. It almost feels like an intrusion when they share their thoughts. It's poetic, beautiful, and brutally honest.