Men at Axlir

by Dominic Cooper

This novel is based on a true account of the crime of a young girl and her brother which was exploited in the feud between two county sheriffs in the 18th-century Danish colony of Iceland.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Trond]

In some ways a nightmarish story. I have read the novels "The Dead of Winter" and "Sunrise", also by Dominic Cooper. All these books are hard to read because of loneliness, strong emotions and desperate actions. You will never forget them once you have read them, because they may convey convincing truths about tough human relationships told very intensely and realistically. "Men at Axlir" takes place in 18 the century Iceland, based on a true story. "The Dead of Winter" and "Sunrise" take place in the Hebrides closer to our own times. Dominic Cooper, an English writer, living in the Hebrides, stopped writing about thirty years ago, because he did not have more to write about (according to what he said himself in a New Statesman interview, Oct.2015: http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/o...). I recommend his books, but with a warning. You should probably take some time before you go on from reading one to reading the next. They are tough.

[Jane Routley]

Just like Hannah Kent's book Burial Rites, Men at Axlir mines Icelandic legal records for fictional retelling. Another fascinating evocation of the grim life in Iceland, this one's got it all - murder, blood feud, incest, vengeance, rape. Despite all this the writing is beautiful, although nothing like Hannah Kent's, and the description of the Skafta Fires, the terrible volcanic eruptions of 1783, is vivd and terrifying. The structure of book doesn't do it any favour though. If you're not careful you can wind up very confused. Despite this I found it hard to put down.

[Claire Le Mycélium]

Un thriller tout en nuance, avec en toile de fond la nature sauvage de l'Islande : j'ai beaucoup aimé cette histoire très réussie

http://chroniquesdunchatdebibliothequ...

[Saruh]

Sad, twisted tale. Ominous backdrop of long lasting, unwarented hatred between strangers ... I don't recommend it. However, the description of the landscapes was captivating.