Everything in life was normal for Unnar, though somewhat lonely.
All that changed when a black cat showed up at her door.
Tracking down the cat’s owner, Unnar finds a kindred soul—a woman just as lost and lonely as her—in desperate need of help. And just like that, Ásta and her pet fall into Unnar’s life like a gust of cold air.
Of course, Unnar appreciates the company, and in turn she starts to rely on Ásta. But like the black cat, trouble follows Unnar’s new friend at every turn. When things turn violent, Unnar is the only one there who can help Ásta.
The two women quickly learn: nothing tests a friendship like blood on your hands.
Why we’re excited about this book:
Already well-known at her home in Iceland, Hildur Knútsdóttir’s work is poised to find new life and readers overseas. The author of The Night Guest, Urðarhvarf, The Shape of Stones, and the forthcoming Down Where Monsters Dwell, among others, Knútsdóttir’s fiction has earned the Icelandic Literary Prize for her children’s novel Vetrarhörkur. With her latest, Knútsdóttir presents two women in need of friendship forced into a terrible and violent altercation that tests the limits of survival. Monika Kim (The Eyes Are the Best Part) calls Dead Weight: “An unflinching tale of friendship and sacrifice―and the terrible things women sometimes have to do in order to survive. With its sharp, elegant prose, Dead Weight is as hopeful as it is haunting. I inhaled it in a single, feverish sitting.” and Hailey Piper (No Gods for Drowning) says the book is “An endearing page-turner. I spent the whole book anxious. Dead Weight lures you in with a sweet side before pulling your nerves taut.”
Releasing from Tor Nightfire 26 May 2026, Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir (translated by Mary Robinette Kowal) is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA