Review of Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Set on a remote Icelandic farm in the early 19th century, this novel spins a tale of a female servant who is condemned for murder and spends the last months of her life living with a family on a remote Icelandic farm. I opened this novel with anticipation. First, it was a gift from a friend who loved it. Second, as a student of Old Norse Literature and mythology, I looked forward to seeing how a young Australian writer would interpret this remote time and place. One of the novel's strengths is the strong sensory imagery--mud, body odor, blood,urine, lashing rain and icy snow. Another strength is the description of the bleak lineaments of the Icelandic landscape. I enjoyed the ominous use of ravens, an old symbol of Odin, the Norse god of wisdom and magic. In terms of human relationships, the interactions of the women on the farmstead are particularly strong. But I would have liked to see further development of the enigmatic character of the herbalist Natan Ketilsson, one of the murdered men.




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