The Lodger and Other Stories is a collection of short stories written by Svava Jakobsdottir, exploring themes such as gender, culture, social conformity, and consumerism. Specifically, Svava explores these themes as they exist within modern Icelandic culture, chronicling the shift the country has undergone in recent history.
A Story for Children
In this story, Svava discusses societal expectations and explores the psychological weight of such expectations, especially in relation to gender. The story is essentially about a woman who is expected to complete some demeaning, gory and unpleasant tasks in order to please those around her. This story is ultimately a comment on the expectations placed on women in society, and how they are often required to put their own needs to the back-burner in order to appease others.
The Lodger
The Lodger is the eponymous story of this collection and focuses on an Icelandic woman who isn't named. While her husband is at work, a mysterious man enters her home carrying a suitcase and acts in the way a lodger would.
The way he acts makes her feel uncomfortable, and she is anxious for her husband to return home from work. However, when the husband returns he does not seem concerned by the new lodger and instead welcomes him. As the story progresses, the husband and the lodger seem to merge into one, and the husband continues to defer to the stranger, much to the displeasure of his wife.
