In Fríða Ísberg’s debut novel, The Mark, a referendum is looming in Iceland and the gloves are off. On the one side there is PSYCH, an organization that wants to introduce a compulsory nationwide empathy test called a “sensitivity assessment”. (What things are called is intensely politicized in Ísberg’s Iceland.) Those who pass will be “marked”; those who fail, the “unmarked”, will be given psychological support for their “moral disorder”. Marking is already available, but is mandatory only for members of parliament and public officials. Still, companies, schools and housing associations are already using it to discriminate. On the other side of the referendum there is MASC, a group that believes marking will create an ostracized subclass, and that the empathy test requirement will fall particularly hard on young men. MASC thinks of PSYCH members as politically correct snowflakes; PSYCH sees MASC as unreconstructed bigots.

The Mark by Fríða Ísberg is a dystopian novel set in Iceland, exploring a society on the verge of making a sensitivity test mandatory for all citizens. This test assesses empathy levels, determining whether individuals pose a risk of anti-social behavior or criminality. The novel follows the tensions between those who support the test and those who oppose it, sparking debates on freedom, morality, and societal control. The characters provide varied perspectives on the issue, and the novel paints a nuanced picture of a world where technology and ethics collide. Ísberg's dry humor and sharp social commentary keep the narrative engaging while raising important questions about conformity and individual rights.

I really loved this book. The premise revolves around a test which calculated a person's empathy levels and the country is voting whether to make the test mandatory or not. It follows four different voices, leading up to election, all with differing outlooks on how to vote. Each voice feels so unique and powerful that you almost switch your personal opinion between each chapter as you follow each character. I love sociological thought experiments and this book felt very dystopian yet also very grounded at the same time - a pretty tricky task if you ask me! Really, really, good!

There are as many things this book did well as it lacked. That is why I've landed where I have landed rating wise. But the stuff that was good was really good. Fríða's characterisation is what shines throughout this whole narrative. She gave every single point of view such a unique voice. I also really enjoyed the discourse on politics and disagreements amongst friends, family, and strangers, especially how she pulled this from her own discussions with her father. The things that didn't connect for me were the ways in which empathy and the test were defined. I found it hard to believe such a thing could exist and be policed. Some of the people failing didn't seem right to me either, but perhaps this was the point. I think I was just expecting the test side of it to be a lot more interesting. With all this in mind, I would definitely read from this author again. Thank you again to Faber for the gifted copy.

This was such an interesting and thought-provoking read, following a range of characters in the run-up to a controversial referendum in near-future Iceland.

The reader follows characters with opinions on both sides of the debate, and we learn the reasons for and nuances in each person's views. I felt that the author dealt with the range of views in a sensitive way, and it didn't come across like one viewpoint was being demonised throughout the book, even though I did feel that it was signposted there was a clear rationale for one side being the "correct" side (though maybe that's just my own opinions biasing me!)

What I loved most was that the black and white thinking that seems to be getting more and more prevalent in politics was forced to be confronted in this novel. Despite my disagreement with some of the characters, I could still see where they were coming from, and despite my agreement with others, I still didn't necessarily agree wholly with their rationales or their methods of communicating their dissatisfaction. Each character was complex, having complicated feelings that informed their decision, and occasionally their preconceived ideas were challenged, in turn challenging the assumptions that I had made throughout the novel.

It did admittedly take me a while to get into the book, and I wouldn't recommend it for a beach read, but I would absolutely encourage everyone who considers themselves to be politically aware to give this one a go! I felt that (maybe ironically given the subject of the fictional referendum) it was a good reminder to try to be empathetic, even if someone holds opposing views to you.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital arc of The Mark.

While I found the plot and the setting intriguing, this one unfortunately didn't click for me.

Ever since reading Pink Slime by Fernanda Trias last year I have been on the look out for more dystopia that I could love. Unfortunately, it is not a genre I generally like and so while I could admire some things about this book, I did not enjoy it as much as I could have wished.
Isberg lays out the plot of her story without comment in a way I enjoyed. She trusts the reader to understand the points she is making about gendered violence and class and scapegoating and centrism, without spoon-feeding it to the audience. She allows the absurdity of the situations to speak for themselves, both with humour and with horror. It is a cold book, full of characters isolated from everyone in their world, there is no love or warmth in this book about empathy, and I think that in itself told a powerful message. But overall it meant i lacked enagement. for such a short book there were so many perspectives and I often got lost between them because they all spoke the same way. They didn't all add to the point and i think some could have been excised. But if you like dystopia, I do think this is a good one.

I felt like this wasn’t happening in a different country but in a different world. I tried but couldn’t connect at all with the concept. So was it SF or not? I still don’t know and I’m at the end of the book.

I love to read fiction from less represented parts of the world, as it allows me to immerse in the literary culture that often is quite a good representation of the social climate. The premise of "The Mark" sounded so interesting - oriented around the upcoming referendum that will determine if the test designed by the local psychological association to assess one's empathy will become mandatory for each citizen.

This topic is explored from the perspectives of four characters – Vetur, Eyja, Tristan and Ólafur, who each have different feelings and experiences surrounding the test, as well as the prospects of passing or failing it. "The Mark" is a literary exploration of the subject of forgoing certain personal freedoms, such as right to privacy, on the account to make the state a safer space.

However, maybe it was the writing or the translation, I found the plot quite hard to connect with. What I was missing was the "why" in the world building, as in why did the psychological association decide to design the test (what was interesting, though, was the key that was used to measure empathy that, if you know a little bit about empathy, wasn't very accurate), what was the role of immigration and the composition of the Icelandic society to make the test happen in a first place?

In a nutshell - grat concept but the execution left quite a lot to be desired.

A very interesting concept set in Iceland, somewhere in the not too distant future, where citizens are shortly voting in a referendum to decide whether to make empathy testing mandatory. Society is obsessed with psychologists and therapy and there is a every widening chasm between those who have been tested and passed, the “marked” citizens and those that either failed or refused to take the test, who are “unmarked”.

Unmarked people are not permitted to enter some shops, live in certain buildings, work for certain companies or attend some events. There is a huge dependency on drugs and an awful lot of paranoia amongst the main characters in the book.

I found I couldn’t connect with the characters and the writing felt stilted; I suspect much of the flow and the emotion of the story was lost in translation.

2.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was incredible. If you like Black Mirror you will love this book. The Icelandic Psychological Association has devised a test which can measure your level of empathy and predict who has the capacity to be anti-social. Once you pass the test you can choose to be ‘marked’ which means you get access to special schools, areas and living privileges. Those unmarked are increasingly being fired from their jobs, abandoned by friends and becoming victims of crime and discrimination.

In a months time the country will vote on whether to make the test and the marking mandatory for all citizens. The book follows 4 people, including the head of the pro-test campaign and the young man blackmailing him because he is sure that he is doomed to fail. There is also a teacher who is being stalked by her ex boyfriend and an unmarked woman who has been sexually harassed in the workplace and faces losing her job.

It was written so brilliantly and I was addicted to reading about the four main characters. They all had really different stories but each one was just as enthralling as the other. It was such a sinister book where everything just starts slowly falling apart in the society and it really makes you question the ‘what if’ and compare it to now. It’s an interesting comment on how we treat criminals and those that we call ‘psychopaths’ and the lengths we would go to to keep the wider society safe.

I liked how this was also a book about female endangerment and violence against women. The woman being stalked by her ex is in so much danger through the book but people rely on this strange technology to keep her safe and put their faith in the system rather than actually doing something active to help her. The woman who is losing her job also has to reckon with workplace misogyny and it’s interesting to see how the psychologists are so obsessed with using the test to find and stop the people they deem as being dangerous rather than looking at the people who are actively causing harm to the women in the book through their acts of violence. These men are ignored simply because they are in positions of power and have already passed the test. It makes us question if it’s ever right to put our blind faith in a system which tells us who is in the right and who is in the wrong.

Really recommend this book. It was so thought provoking and compulsively written, and I’ve not read a book which gave me such strong black mirror vibes before which I absolutely loved.

A thought-provoking and timely novel, exploring a near future Iceland where an empathy test is used to classify citizens as marked or unmarked. The social implications are explored, and the complex ethical dilemmas which come about with such societal testing and organisation are revealed through four different points of view. I really enjoyed the premise, it was based enough within the realm of possibility that it seemed plausible, with social credit already being used in certain cities, and calls for more intense monitoring of powerful individuals such as politicians, regardless of liberty, already a normal request in our discourse. The translation was well done, and I found the writing to be as compelling as the concept.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I found The Mark to be a quick, very tense, read. I enjoyed the use of multiple perspectives, and in particular, watching these disparate tales eventually align. However, although the themes are explored well, I'm unsure how long the book will stick with me. It didn't resonate as fully emotionally as I expected (especially considering the emphasis on emotion as subject matter), and the stream-of-consciousness chapters didn't always work for me. An interesting read, but perhaps not always as successful in its execution as it could have been.
3.5 rounded up to 4

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC!

The Mark is an interesting little dystopian out of Iceland where citizens are gearing up to vote on whether or not an empathy test should be mandatory for all citizens. This test exposes antisocial patterns and behaviours, with the idea that they can provide help and support to those who fail the test, in an attempt to stop crimes before they happen. But tensions rise as the demands surrounding the test get higher and higher, and the referendum looms.
.
I do enjoy a multi-POV novel, especially for books like this where there are a lot of different attitudes and perspectives to explore. Here we have Vetur, a young woman temping as a teacher and recovering from a bad experience with an ex-turned-stalker; Tristan, a young addict in a precarious social position; Eyja, a recently divorced woman intent on petty revenge; and Ólafur, who is campaigning for the Mark to be made mandatory. Their stories intersect as society becomes torn over whether to force everyone to take the test and have their results be publicly visible.
.
This book works well because it’s one of those (ever more common) dystopias that feel not too far off being a reality. The Test is something supposedly engineered with good intentions, hoping to help people who fail it, but as with lots of things the reality gets twisted. People claim they don’t want to stigmatise test failures - instead it should be treated as something akin to a vitamin deficiency, something to be worked on. So then why do people who do fail the test find themselves increasingly ostracised and even punished?
.
Vetur and Tristan’s POVs did overshadow the others a bit, but it’s a quick and thought-provoking read! It’s translated by Larissa Kyzer and the writing is smooth with some great lines - one woman is described as throwing people away once ‘she’d gnawed the fantasy of a person down to the quick’ and I just loved that.

Description:
In a near-future Iceland, it’s days out from a vote about an empathy test said to weed out those most likely to be criminals, and a psychological programme which aims to help them reintegrate. If the referendum passes, it will be mandatory to take the test, with a register tallying who passes and fails. Those who pass are ‘marked’. Already, some buildings, businesses, and even residential districts will not allow those who haven’t voluntarily marked themselves to enter.

Liked:
The premise is intriguing, providing tonnes of fodder for interesting character and societal exploration. The interwoven storylines work well, and showcase folks from either side of the divide, as well as their nearest and dearest, who are portrayed with a light touch but nevertheless feel present and significant as the story plays out. Most characters are sympathetic at points but not throughout, which I loved. Felt like it explored a complex topic with lots of parallels in a nuanced yet satisfying way. Particularly loved the letters between the two old friends.

Disliked:
Not much, to be honest - it’s very polished.

Would recommend. A short read with a lot to say.

I loved the premise of this book and the whole thing didn't disappoint! Iceland is on the verge of a vote for a controversial empathy test to be made obligatory. This will make everyone safer, as it will weed out those in society with psychopathic/sociopathic tendencies, thus enabling them to get help. At least, thus say the pro-faction. But those against point to discrimination and exclusions already happening, where some buildings/areas/companies are all tested and those who fail (the unmarked) are not allowed in, by facial recognition systems. The test is carried out by a version of functional MRI, so you can't trick it with answering the way you think they want to hear, but your results could also be affected by current stressors or perhaps illness or the like, and you might lose your job as a result of a test that wasn't necessarily a true reflection of your character. Opinions are divided, sometimes even within households, and emotions are running high, with demonstrations becoming ever more aggressive.

The story follows a few different points of view, a woman who feels safer in her marked building from her stalker ex who has failed the test, a young man who is frantically trying to purchase a property before being failed precludes him from getting a loan, but already finds difficulties just in being untested, a husband and wife who disagree on the matter, and their storyline becomes entwined with that if the young man in a very interesting way, correspondence between two long-time friends, and a young woman feeling resentful of her ex (who is having a baby with someone new), and for whom the test is used against by a boss when he didn't get his way with her.

The character development is good for all, perhaps slightly less so for the corresponding pair but their interludes provide an interesting counterpoint to the main action, and of that there's plenty. You are soon drawn in to care for these people who are really just struggling to get on with their lives in the best way possible, although they sometimes - as we all do - make questionable decisions that they will likely regret. I also found the pacing and action to hit just the right beats all along to the satisfying conclusion.

It was a very engaging read with much food for thought long after the last page is turned, and I really enjoyed it. My thanks to NetGalley, Faber & Faber, and the talented author & translator for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. One note is that in the ARC some of the formatting was a little off, meaning that gaps that probably should have been in the text to mark a change of character, were sometimes missing, so text ran on and there was some confusion until you realised you'd changed POV! But I'm sure this was just a blip in the transfer of the ebook and not something that will affect the final product.

A very interesting dystopian vision, that feels grounded in a not too distant future. Eerily reminiscent of recent history, such as the Brexit referendum and thoroughly explores complicated themes of morality in a similar vein to films like Minority Report and Blade Runner. I read this in one sitting, it's very compelling and thought provoking. As a multi POV narrative, I found some characters more interesting than others but Tristan and Vetur were really great! On the whole I enjoyed this a lot, I think it maybe straddles a space between young adult and adult and would be good for fans of The Hunger Games, who are looking to read something similar. Despite exploring complex issues, the writing was fairly simplistic and easy to follow, making the ideas digestible and not too challenging to understand.

I was excited by the synopsis because it sounded exactly likel my kind of book, but I struggled to get through it. The structure was disjointed. Not all the characters were very compelling. It's a fascinating topic and will probably become our reality, but this version didn't work for me.

I was completely sold by the synopsis of this book. The Mark set in Reykjavík, in the not too distant future. The Icelandic Psychological Association has prepared a test, its called the a sensitivity assessment and it measures a person's empathy and is used a way to identify potential for anti-social behaviour. The book opens in the days before the country goes to the polls to decide should the test be compulsory for every citizen. The nation is wholly and bitterly divided, some believe it makes society safer while others believe it to be the upmost of violations.

In the run up the referendum, the book follows the perspective of four people and examines where do the rights of society end and the rights of the individual begin.

I really enjoyed this. Its smart and accessible and hugely thought provoking. Such a development does not seem that out of reach in the near future. I can understand how such a test would appeal in some circumstances, asking someone running for elected office to take such a test wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility but the thoughts of my children having to partake in such an assessment to access education/ employment/ a bank loan fills me with dread. Baby steps cascade into marathons though and its so easy to understand how such a scenario could happen.

I really liked how the author teased out the arguments for and against and I got more and more uncomfortable with the idea as the book progressed. So many questions are raised and this would be a brilliant choice for a book club, I am eager to talk to other people about this book after reading it. A really well told novel , I liked the pacing and the different narratives, the translation was excellent. The only issue I had was getting to grips with the characters initially. This is purely down to me being unfamiliar with the spelling and pronunciation of Icelandic names so it is all on me but I would imagine other readers in english, might come across the same stumbling block. Once I got used to who was who, is was no longer an issue.

A fantastic read and one that will stay with me. Wishing the author continued success, I look forward to reading more from Frida Isberg.

A very interesting Black Mirror style dystopian story with intriguing explorations on lots of interesting topics such as politics, us vs them mentality, the complexities of being human, human rights and privacy.

We follow 4 different and distinctive characters who are all dealing with this idea of 'marking' in different ways and it was interesting and engaging following their stories and how each of their lives were being impacted by the marking. As always, there were some POVs more interesting than the others but I still enjoyed following each of their stories.