GENRE : HISTORICAL FICTION

In 1829, the last public execution in Iceland took place (you can still see the specially commissioned axe in the National Museum in Reykjavik). A man and a woman were beheaded for a murder committed on a remote farm. There being no prisons in Iceland, the condemned woman, Agnes Magnusdottir (great character name!) was held for the winter before her execution at the farm where she’d lived as a young girl, guarded by the farmer’s wife and daughters. Burial Rites tells the story of that winter.

Hannah Kent is Australian. Her writing is visceral, bold and evocative and the culture and customs are meticulously researched. (I know just how much research goes into a historical fiction novel). She explores the difficult landscape, the hard lives, and the unforgiving natures that such an environment can engender. Yes, that’s a generalisation I know. You can find unforgiving natures anywhere, but oh, they work so well in harsh environments. And for this tale … well, northern Iceland nailed that. I went there in summer and it was snowing (so I loitered in a warm bookstore and bought this book).

While the main point of the novel is Agnes’ story, Hannah, in the process, paints a rich picture of Icelandic society, of the farmers, healers, neighbours, poets, gossips, maids and so on. Religion is clearly important, but for some characters, omens and superstition are equally if not more powerful. Natan, the victim, is depicted as highly susceptible to bad omens, and for Agnes the ever-present ravens – “their black feathers poisonous against the snow” – reflect her sense of aloneness and bode ill. By contrast, stones suggest good luck. Agnes spits out a stone on the day of her execution.

Burial Rites is a magical read that got me in from the first page and didn’t let go until I got out my hanky at the end. Consider yourself warned.