Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, recipient of the Best Novel Valencia Negra 2025 award for her work, visited Valencia to discuss her latest novel, El castigo (Destino). Sigurdardóttir, known for creating unsettling atmospheres, explores the secrets of the past and their connection to the future through a time capsule in this instance.

In a conversation about identity construction, the author highlights the importance of childhood and how lived experiences, especially traumatic ones, can lead individuals with similar backgrounds down divergent paths. "We are who we are because of the past we have," states Sigurdardóttir, who finds inspiration in child psychology and institutions like Iceland's Children's House to explore the 'why' of crime, beyond forensic evidence.

The novel also includes a critique of institutional failures that abandon the most vulnerable. Sigurdardóttir mentions an old case that inspired the plot, emphasizing the need to protect vulnerable individuals, even in a country like Iceland, which projects an idyllic image. The relationship between the protagonists, police officer Huldar and child psychologist Freyja, is another key point, marked by tension and the dynamic of forced collaboration.

Sigurdardóttir describes her work as an exploration of psychological horror, where the key lies in growing discomfort and the constant expectation of imminent danger, rather than supernatural elements. Her desire is to provoke a sense of intrigue and unease in the reader that maintains their attention until the end.