MAGMA

Twenty-year-old Lilja is in love. She becomes smitten with an older, handsome university student who reads Latin, quotes philosophy and cooks balanced, vegetarian meals. In no time, she moves into his cramped flat. Seduced by the newfound intimacy of a shared bed and showers, and fuelled by the desire to please her partner, she doesn’t realize when his quiet and pervasive manipulations start to unravel her.

His acts of imperceptible abuse continue to mount as their relationship develops. Desperate to rationalize his behaviour and be the perfect lover, Lilja gradually permits him to cross all boundaries, unable to break free from the toxic cycle. And then an unexpected ultimatum: an all-consuming love, or the promise of a life reclaimed.

Urgent and visceral, Thora Hjörleifsdóttir explores the darkest corners of relationships, exposing the commonplace undercurrents of violence that often go undetected. In an era of growing pornification, she deftly illustrates the failings of our culture to recognize symptoms of cruelty. In gripping, poetic prose, Magma depicts the unspooling of a tender-hearted young woman aching to love and be loved.