Burial Rites

by Hannah Kent

Cruel birds, ravens, but wise. And creatures should be loved for their wisdom if they cannot be loved for kindness.

God has had His chance to free me, and for reasons known to Him alone, He has pinned me to ill fortune, and although I have struggled, I am run through and through with disaster; I am knifed to the hilt with fate.

this is so beautifully written, my heart aches

“To know what a person has done, and to know who a person is, are very different things.”

The weight of his fingers on mine, like a bird landing on a branch. It was the drop of the match. I did not see that we were surrounded by tinder until I felt it burst into flames.

beautiful foreshadowing