I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir, Translated by Mary Robinette Kowal Published by Tor Nightfire on May 26 2026
Genres: Adult, Domestic thriller
Pages: 160
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Two unhappy women seek revenge in this dark, bite-sized story, full of black humor and cats.
I loved Icelandic writer Hildur Knútsdóttir’s last book, The Night Guest, so I was very excited to read Dead Weight. First, I want to mention that although this is being marketed as horror, it’s anything but. Honestly, I would file this under literary fiction. There’s not even a mystery to solve, and although there is a murder, “thriller” just doesn’t quite fit the story either. This is a very short novella that focuses on toxic relationships and the fallout when someone is pushed too far. There’s also a couple of adorable cats that sort of tie everything together, and they ended up being my favorite characters.
The story revolves around two women who are struggling in their relationships and the cat that brings them together. Unnur is dating a married man and only sees him when it’s convenient—for him, of course. One day she comes home from work and discovers a cat in her apartment. She has no idea how it got in, but she decides to check “missing cat” ads to see if she can find its owner. The cat ends up belonging to a woman named Ásta, but when she comes to Unnur’s apartment to pick it up, she asks her if Unnur wouldn’t mind keeping Io, the cat, for a while until things settle down at home. Unnur is caught off guard by this request, but agrees to take care of the cat. Ásta will visit several times a week and supply all of Io’s food.
It isn’t long before Unnur figures out why Ásta is afraid to take the cat back to her house—Io is terrified of Ásta’s boyfriend Ragnar and that’s why she ran away. And when Ragnar becomes a threat to both women, Unnur isn’t afraid to do something drastic to make things right.
This is a rather bleak story about abuse, loneliness, and revenge, but there are bright spots too, like the sweet friendship that develops between Unnur and Ásta, as well as Io the cat and how both women care deeply for her. I love stories about women who take back their power, and while the way Unnur and Ásta get that power back isn’t ground breaking, it was very satisfying.
The author does some clever things with the title (“dead weight” has more than one meaning), and I also loved the tongue-in-cheek humor regarding Unnur and how adept she is at packing a carry-on suitcase (her relationship with her married boyfriend forces her to travel if she wants to see him), which takes on another meaning later in the story. The cats were a nice heartwarming touch (and they remain safe, so no need to worry!). And for squeamish readers, do be aware that there are some gruesome scenes that might be upsetting or difficult to read.
Ultimately, though, I was hoping for more. The ending sort of fizzles out, and while I can see what the author was trying to do, it just wasn’t impactful enough to give this a higher rating. Still, if you’re curious and have a couple of hours to spare, Dead Weight is definitely worth reading.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Ooohh this one sounds gooooooood!
You should try it!
It sounds like there’s a lot packed into 160 pages. Too bad for the ending…
As far as length and pacing, I can’t complain!
I agree with everything you said! I was left wondering at the end why this was being marketed as horror, when it really isn’t. Funny about how good Unnar is at packing!
There were some really good parts, like the suitcase thing!
Bleak isn’t something I am trying to read right now. The real world is bleak enough.
I totally get it!
Hmm, sounds like at the very least this one’s being done a disservice by the marketing.
I can see why it’s marketed as horror, simply because they published the author’s last book which WAS horror. But it’s very literary.
I sort of want to read this one for the cat alone. Great review.
Thanks Barb! It’s a quick read and I enjoyed it.
Love it that the cats help to tie things together in the story. But too bad the ending wasn’t stronger.
The cats were awesome:-)
Sounds like the cats are the best part of this one.
Yes, they were!
Probably not for me in my current reading mood. It sounds maybe a little bit too bleak.
Lynn 😀
It was very bleak! Except for the cats, they were cute.
Im sorry this wasn’t as successful for you as the authors other book. Its so frustrating when a book is mislabeled as going into something expecting something else can really derail a reading experience. Toxic relationships do interest me but an underwhelming ending can be so disheartening. So I’ll leave this as a maybe for now I think.
I recommend her last book, The Night Guest. That one felt much more in the horror genre than this one did.
Thank you for a lovely review and I’m very glad you read this one. I LOATHE weak endings in anything with a mystery and/or suspense. Or anything purporting to have a mystery or suspense…
That reminds me of The Change, when women band together to get rid of the bad men!
Hmmm, doesn’t quite live up to The Night Guest, eh? I really enjoyed that one, which I think was also pretty short, wasn’t it?
Yeah, I was not impressed with the ending! It’s like, boom, here’s something shocking, followed immediately by, okay then, we’re done! I wanted a little more after all that set up.
You said literary fiction and that counts me out, lol. Interesting review, probably not my type of read. Thanks for sharing!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2026/06/08/review-experimental-marine-biology-chemistry-lessons-5-by-susannah-nix/