Pig's head

An ordinary inhabitant of the Icelandic backwoods, not very educated, not very sensitive, not very attractive, disabled since childhood, had already despaired of the possibility of arranging his personal life when he came across the services of a marriage agency and started a relationship with a Chinese woman. “He bought himself a wife by mail from China,” they said about him in the village. Now he has almost a real family: a hardworking, proud, disciplined wife Maria and her son, who took the Icelandic name “Gunnar” in honor of his Icelandic stepfather. Now he is called “Pighead”: this is what a woman in China calls her beloved man, if Maria is to be believed. Pighead tries to be an exemplary husband and father. Will he succeed?

This is a family saga by an Icelandic writer, which deals with the problems of raising children, the adaptation of people from a "third world country" in a modern Western environment, the clash of cultures, compliance with gender and social requirements and stereotypes.

The author weaves a story that dates back to World War II China, the island of Breidafjordur and the suburbs of Kópavogur.