The Mark

In the near future, in Reykjavík, in a world like our own, society is divided about the controversial Empathy Test, which measures an individual’s capacity for compassion & identifies anti-social behaviour in citizens. Two thirds of the country, including public servants & politicians, have undergone the test, & ‘marked’ themselves in an official register, open to the public. One third remains ‘unmarked’ & more & more private & public spaces are closing their doors to them. In two months’ time, citizens face a national referendum, in which they will vote on whether the test should be mandatory or not.

Amid the rising tension & via the voices of four compelling characters—the sceptical teacher Vetur, the influential psychologist Óli, the businesswoman Eyja, who fails the test, and the school dropout Tristan, who is fighting for the right not to be tested—we are confronted with urgent ethical dilemmas, prejudice, injustice, & private trauma. The suspense intensifies as these four individuals try to navigate a brave new world. The rules of the game have changed. What are the consequences?

For fans of Black Mirror, or readers of the novels of Jennifer Egan & Naomi Alderman, The Mark is a brilliant, topical novel by an exciting new writer. Fríða Ísberg’s book asks: do we want to live in a world defined by our faith in each other, or by our fear of the future.

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Fríða Ísberg is an Icelandic author based in Reykjavík. She has written the poetry collections Stretch Marks & Leather Jacket Weather, the short story collection Itch & the novel The Mark, which won the Fjara Literature Prize, the Icelandic Booksellers Award, & the P.O. Enquist Award. She was the 2021 recipient of the Optimist Award, given by the President of Iceland to one national artist. Fríða is a member of the writers’ collective Svikaskáld & an occasional contributor to The Times Literary Supplement. fridaisberg.com