Somersault
Twelve-year-old Álfur is a gymnast from Kópavogur, Iceland. He’s a good friend, a lovely son, and the best big brother in the world. That is until one day his mum and dad tell Álfur that his little brother Eiki has been diagnosed with autism. Now they won’t stop worrying about how this affects their lives and how they will appear to others. They also do not consider that Eiki is still Eiki, their son and Álfur’s little brother.
Álfur’s gymnastics practice six times a week and his plans to go to a summer camp in Brazil help to get his thoughts away from the sudden change at home. Yet, Álfur desperately wishes that his family could be normal–or what he thinks is normal.
Álfur then decides to sneak off to visit his estranged aunt Harpa, the once famous gymnast who competed in the Olympics but ended up leaving in disgrace. No one in the family talks to her anymore, but the more sympathetic Álfur is set to reconnect with his aunt, and perhaps to find answers to solve the situation at home.
Somersault is a moving and compelling story about growing up and realising how complicated life can be and how nothing is black and white. It is also about volatile emotions and the strong bond between two brothers, written with the warmth and humour that characterizes the works of Arndís Thórarinsdóttir.
The multi-awarded book has received the Icelandic Literature Prize (2022), the Icelandic Women’s Literature Prize in the Children’s Book category (2023) and The Reykjavík Children’s Book Award (2023), and it was nominated for the Nordic Council Prize in 2022. Somersault has also been endorsed by spokespeople in the neuropsychological field.
Publishing information
Rights sold
- Dutch
- Hungarian
- Estonian
- Italian
- Czech
Awards & nominations
Awards
2023
The Reykjavík Children's Book Award
2023
Icelandic Women's Literature Prize (Fjöruverðlaunin)
2022
Icelandic Literature Prize (Children’s books category)
Nominations
2023
Best Children’s and Young Adult Books List (Hea Lasteraamat)
2023
Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize
Reviews
"There is something exceptionally human and warm in her books. [...] Þórarinsdóttir writes empathically but also lightly about them. And Salto is another one of those books you want to read out of immediately."
"A gem [...] Very loving but also very realistic."
"Somersault is a beautiful novel about the boy Álfur, whose brother Eiki is diagnosed as autistic... It is a true-to-life portrait of a young boy that Arndís has drawn, and it is a novel that emphasizes just how important family is for children and young people."
"The author handles the subject with admirable skill and successfully weaves it into an interesting and enjoyable story about a family so familiar that the readers feel like they know it."
"I'm thrilled that we have a book like this one for our kids on the spectrum, and indeed for their parents. And it's really entertaining and exciting! A groundbreaking novel."
"The author skilfully plays on the entire emotional scale and presents a storyteller who wins the hearts and minds of readers of all ages. The story is at the same time impressive, fun and exciting, but above all full of warmth and humanity."
"The prose is excellent - well written and witty. The characters pull at readers' heartstrings, their interactions both realistic and believable. ... This critic feels that this book is suitable for both adults and children, who will undoubtedly appreciate it from different perspectives. It is beautiful and enlightening, as well as exciting and fun. Arndís has written an outstanding book that has a place under any Christmas tree."
"Somersault is an impressive, well-written and important book in Icelandic literature, fun to read and thought-provoking."
"It's very effective and well done. It also feels a little unusual and bold for a children's book, to have an unreliable narrator who has a narrow vision and a very clear position … It's brilliantly done."
"I was completely blown away by this book. The depth, sensitivity and empathy that Arndís delivers with the text. I read it in one day, barely catching my breath between pages and suffering in silence with Álf, who feels so bad. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, just as most of us eventually work through our traumas. It just takes a different amount of time … Somersault is a masterfully crafted, everyday story of a boy that plays on the entire emotional scale. It is written with sensitivity and respect for the subject. This is a very high quality and good children's book that I hope will find its way into the hands of all those who need it."
