In northern Iceland, 1829, Agnes Magnúsdóttir is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of two men. Agnes is sent to wait out the months leading up to her execution on the farm of district officer Jón Jónsson, his wife and their two daughters. This is not a story that I would normally gravitate to. Burial Rites came to me highly recommended and hyped and I’m always a bit wary of things so highly hyped as they often don’t live up to their expectations. This is not the case with Hannah Kent’s debut novel though. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Burial Rites. Hannah Kent is a great storyteller and her writing is so enjoyable that I didn’t want to rush reading the book. I can highly recommend Burial Rites as a summer or winter read depending on your hemisphere.
