Burial Rites
A brilliant literary debut, inspired by a true story: the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829. Set against Iceland’s stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.
This beautiful story has the space between words that allow images to live. It has space to sink into your bones. The setting becomes a character and the characters in this story are magnificent. To have other people tell your story while you must stay silent is a terrible oppression – it can kill you if those people have all the power and you have none.
Burial Rites reminded me a lot of The Light Between Oceans even though one is set on our South West Coast and one in Northern Iceland.