Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Magma

i liked the way the book portrayed the change over time in abusive relationships, especially from the main characters perspective - seeing her thoughts and outlook change/fluctuate rather than focusing on the "what happened" ex the exact dialogue. at the same time, i do wish we had seen a little more of the relationship, such as explaining why she even liked him in the first place?

i do also like what the author was doing, seeing it in snapshots, but i do think i might've liked it more if there was just more to each chapter, at least in the beginning? im not really sure, i liked parts of it but wished there was more sometimes.

i liked the way he was written, and i also like the way he was never named. there were a lot of interesting little details like that throughout the book that made it enjoyable even if it was a quick read.

i almost cried when the mom reacted w "my girl" to her suicide attempt.

the book makes it easy to really sympathize with her, esp later in the book, even if you do think many of her decisions are dumb. i don't think i liked the ending at all, though -

the addition of the pregnancy seemed really random (but also i think im also just a bit biased against pregnancy/children plot points, so i didn't like how the ending of this book hinges on it.

i don't know, i enjoyed reading it and i found a lot of the latter half really relatable

even if he also kinda disappeared from a lot of it after her attempt

, and i liked a lot of the stylistic choices, but it left me a bit unsatisfied in other ways.

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jesschaney's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

2.0

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ashlislibrary's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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shit_she_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Magma” is the first book I’ve read written by an Icelandic author. The novella follows the course of an abusive relationship from the perspective of Lilja, a young woman who finds herself increasingly entangled in a web of toxicity. Hjörleifsdóttir dedicates “Magma” to “those who have spoken out” and aims at using her voice to raise awareness and empathy for women in abusive relationships and tries to explain why one cannot just end these relationships. I read “Magma” in one sitting and loved the writing—some chapters are only two sentences long and the entire novel is incredibly fast-paced and stream of consciousness like which works so well with the topic. I really appreciate how “Magma” follows the process of Lilja becoming more and more lost in this relationship and depicts how she tries to rationalize her partner’s behavior. It is not the story of how one can leave a toxic relationship, but how one becomes increasingly unable to break free. “Magma” is sad, tense, but oh so raw and honest and I really recommend it.

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acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This book was basically the torture of a mentally ill woman in an abusive relationship. Trigger warnings for very graphic depictions of self-harm, suicide attempts, and sexual assault. I liked neither the stream-of-conscience style writing, nor the main character's frustrating refusal to do anything that would better her own circumstances. This book was definitely not my style. I don't think I can handle frustrating main characters. I spent the whole book begging her to make literally any other choices than the ones she did.

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bibliofeline's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.0

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hannahparadise's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sidekicksam's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This short story really packs a punch. Like a series of diary entries, the story follows Lilja's relationship with a man that is a walking red flag. But she explains away his faults and manipulative behaviour, develops unhealthy views of the other women in his life, and generally closes herself off more and more.

I think what made this book so eery is that most of her behaviour is so relatable. It's horrifying to think of women in abusive or toxic relationships, but the rationalization she uses to explain away his faults are things I think a lot of us do often. The way Hjörleifsdóttir spins the tale in such short time is amazing and I can't wait to read more by her.

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