The play opens and closes with a call from a telephone salesman. We are in Stuart’s new apartment. He has invited his alcoholic father, Richard, to stay with him as he has difficulty walking and suffers from a heart condition. Valerie, his sister, is coming to help with the decorating, but they are disturbed by the sound of the neighbours, a young couple, Edward and Marie who are constantly fighting. She is a hyper positive and romantic born-again Christian and a complete contrast to the lazy and sullen boyfriend who would rather watch television than go to work. The first communication with the neighbours happens when Valerie scolds them through the wall. Suddenly the ghosts of the past capture the stage. Everybody except from Mary knows each other. Richard and Edward start drinking. It is being revealed that Richard has had a relationship with Edward’s mother who was married to a disabled worker. Stuart’s mother, Richard’s wife, committed suicide and the question is now being raised whether or not Edward is Richard’s son. But we never get the answer because Richard dies of a heart attack. Thorsteinsson is a true champion in describing rotten family relationships which claim victims. The language is crisp and sharp, the dialogue sarcastic and the contrasts glaring when the author sets the scene for serious confessions when death calls. The play was staged at the Hafnarfjodur Teater with much success in 1998.
