The Mark by Friða Isberg

'Searingly brilliant . . .like George Orwell and Anthony Burgess before her, lets the dystopian ironies speak for themselves.'TLS

'Absolutely stunning.' HERNAN DIAZ

'A masterpiece.' KAVEH AKBAR

A debut novel of urgent big ideas imbued with pacy plotting and atmospheric power, by an exciting new talent. The Icelandic Psychological Association has prepared a test. They call it a sensitivity assessment: a way of measuring a person's empathy and identifying the potential for anti-social behaviour.

In a few days' time, Iceland will vote on whether to make the test compulsory for every citizen. The nation is bitterly divided. Some believe the test makes society safer; others decry it as a violation.

As the referendum draws closer, four people - Vetur, Eyja, Tristan and Ólafur - find themselves caught in the teeth of the debate. Each of them will have to reckon with uncomfortable questions: Where do the rights of society end and the rights of the individual begin? When does utopia become dystopia? No matter which side wins, they will all have to find a way to live with the result.

Hardback
Publication: 6 Jun 2024, Faber & Faber
ISBN: 9780571376742
Extent: 304 pages