Review: Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir
★★★★☆
Review:
First, I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for providing me with a free advanced listener copy of this audiobook. This is my honest review.
Feminine rage and retribution
Having read and enjoyed The Night Guest, I was eager to get a copy of Hildur Knútsdóttir's latest English translation!
Unnur lives alone until the Cat Distribution System deposits a black cat in her home. Despite finding the cat's owner, the cat keeps returning, and now Unnur must begrudgingly accept that Ásta and her cat will be a regular installment in her home. Getting to know Ásta on a deeper level, she quickly realizes that her new friend is in a dangerous situation and that if she doesn't intervene, no one will.
Dead Weight is marketed as horror, but unlike The Night Guest, there are no horror elements. I still really enjoyed it as a fast-paced domestic thriller novella. If you are looking for feminine rage and retribution and a book you can read in a single sitting, this book will satisfy that need!
Mary Robinette Kowal returns as both translator and narrator. Having the same person narrate who translated from the original text is such a rare treat. Her narration is clear, and I appreciated hearing Icelandic names and locations from a fluent speaker. I hope more collaborations between Hildur and Mary are in the works!
Audience: adult
Trigger warnings: domestic violence, toxic relationship, grooming, murder
Recommended for fans of: domestic thrillers, novellas
Review:
First, I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for providing me with a free advanced listener copy of this audiobook. This is my honest review.
Feminine rage and retribution
Having read and enjoyed The Night Guest, I was eager to get a copy of Hildur Knútsdóttir's latest English translation!
Unnur lives alone until the Cat Distribution System deposits a black cat in her home. Despite finding the cat's owner, the cat keeps returning, and now Unnur must begrudgingly accept that Ásta and her cat will be a regular installment in her home. Getting to know Ásta on a deeper level, she quickly realizes that her new friend is in a dangerous situation and that if she doesn't intervene, no one will.
Dead Weight is marketed as horror, but unlike The Night Guest, there are no horror elements. I still really enjoyed it as a fast-paced domestic thriller novella. If you are looking for feminine rage and retribution and a book you can read in a single sitting, this book will satisfy that need!
Mary Robinette Kowal returns as both translator and narrator. Having the same person narrate who translated from the original text is such a rare treat. Her narration is clear, and I appreciated hearing Icelandic names and locations from a fluent speaker. I hope more collaborations between Hildur and Mary are in the works!
Audience: adult
Trigger warnings: domestic violence, toxic relationship, grooming, murder
Recommended for fans of: domestic thrillers, novellas
Publisher's Synopsis:
An Icelandic night may hide secrets and affairs – or even bodies – in this gruesomely cathartic horror thriller from the author of The Night Guest.
Unnur was living a normal, if lonely, life until a black cat showed up at her door.
When she tracks down the cat’s wayward owner, she finds a young woman just as lost and in need of help. Like a gust of cold air in a Reykjavík night, Ásta and her pet slip into Unnur’s life.
It’s unexpected, but welcome. Unnur likes the company, and she begins to rely on Ásta in turn. But like a black cat, trouble has been tailing her new friend, and Unnur is the only one there for Ásta when things take a violent turn.
The two women quickly learn: nothing tests a friendship like blood on your hands.
Source:
NetGalley
©Macmillan Audio: May 26, 2026
Edition: ALC
3 hours, 11 minutes
Preorder Dead Weight on Amazon! https://amzn.to/4v7fYKS
Disclaimer: By clicking the link above, you will be directed to Amazon.com through my affiliate link. Should you decide to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This commission helps to cover costs associated with running this blog.
An Icelandic night may hide secrets and affairs – or even bodies – in this gruesomely cathartic horror thriller from the author of The Night Guest.
Unnur was living a normal, if lonely, life until a black cat showed up at her door.
When she tracks down the cat’s wayward owner, she finds a young woman just as lost and in need of help. Like a gust of cold air in a Reykjavík night, Ásta and her pet slip into Unnur’s life.
It’s unexpected, but welcome. Unnur likes the company, and she begins to rely on Ásta in turn. But like a black cat, trouble has been tailing her new friend, and Unnur is the only one there for Ásta when things take a violent turn.
The two women quickly learn: nothing tests a friendship like blood on your hands.
Source:
NetGalley
©Macmillan Audio: May 26, 2026
Edition: ALC
3 hours, 11 minutes
Preorder Dead Weight on Amazon! https://amzn.to/4v7fYKS
Disclaimer: By clicking the link above, you will be directed to Amazon.com through my affiliate link. Should you decide to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This commission helps to cover costs associated with running this blog.
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