Shortlisted for the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown Award
In the tradition of Jane Eyre and Rebecca—The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea in which a young woman follows her new husband to his remote home on the Icelandic coast in the 1680s, where she faces dark secrets surrounding the death of his first wife amidst a foreboding landscape and the superstitions of the local villagers.
… foreboding landscape and the superstitions of the local villagers.
“Gripped me in a cold fist. Beautiful.” —Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton
“An Icelandic Jane Eyre.” —Sunday Times, London
Rósa has always dreamed of living a simple life alongside her Mamma in their remote village in Iceland, where she prays to the Christian God aloud during the day, whispering enchantments to the old gods alone at night. But after her father dies abruptly and her Mamma becomes ill, Rósa marries herself off to a visiting trader in exchange for a dowry, despite rumors of mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death.
Rósa follows her new husband, Jón, across the treacherous countryside to his remote home near the sea. There Jón works the field during the day, expecting Rósa to maintain their house in his absence with the deference of a good Christian wife. What Rósa did not anticipate was the fierce loneliness she would feel in her new home, where Jón forbids her from interacting with the locals in the nearby settlement and barely speaks to her himself.
Seclusion from the outside world isn’t the only troubling aspect of her new life—Rósa is also forbidden from going into Jón’s attic. When Rósa begins to hear strange noises from upstairs, she turns to the local woman in an attempt to find solace. But the villager’s words are even more troubling—confirming many of the rumors about Jón’s first wife, Anna, including that he buried her body alone in the middle of the night.
Rósa’s isolation begins to play tricks on her mind: What—or who—is in the attic? What happened to Anna? Was she mad, a witch, or just a victim of Jón’s ruthless nature? And when Jón is brutally maimed in an accident a series of events are set in motion that will force Rósa to choose between obedience and defiance—with her own survival and the safety of the ones she loves hanging in the balance.
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The prologue of this brooding novel set in 17th Iceland may be the most terrifying part. Or maybe the forbidding society that distrusts women who can read while injecting old superstitions into daily life is. Noises in the attic at night provide a scary sense of isolation as a new wife travels from her village with a moody husband to his life of regular food and shelter. The marriage guarantees her ailing, widowed mother will also receive food, medicine, and peat to keep the croft warm. Who was the husband’s first wife? How did she die? Why does he forbid Rosa, his new wife, to talk to any of the villagers? His long absences with his apprentice leave Rosa alone–with only her imagination. Is she going mad? The pacing is slow but helps carry the mystery about the husband’s background. He never physically or sexually abuses Rosa, but his psychological power overrides every aspect of the marital contract she has made. The atmosphere, while perhaps uniquely Icelandic, feels unique primarily because of the old legends so often referenced. Revisit the prologue after finishing the book.
This was an enjoyable, interesting and intriguing book. It is Interesting to learn about other cultures and their customs, superstitions and such, in another time. Characters believable. Well written. I like a book that is not predictable and I can’t figure out how it will end. A recommended read!
I know very little about Icelandic history so this book was a learning experience.
Character choices painfully stupid. Could not continue with it.
This novel drops you into Iceland in the 1600s, a tough place to survive. Characters face hard choices in a hard land. It’s a vivid reminder of the limits gender alone place on women. But some of those choices work out well. Characters are not simplistic or entirely predictable. Immersive, surprising, and will convince to you to experience Iceland only in the summer.
I loved this book. It kept me turning the pages as I tried to figure out what on earth was going ON in this bleak Icelandic village. Beautiful writing set against a bleak but stunning landscape, with a haunting story. Highly recommended.
Fascinating–starts off as “Jane Eyre” set in Seventeenth century Iceland, but has some unexpected turns by the end. Brilliantly written with a unique voice well suited to a unique land.
This dark, suspenseful, atmospheric and haunting story takes place in a remote Icelandic village where a young girl marries a trader in exchange for his help supplying care for her sick mother. Her feelings of isolation, strange noises and a presence have her feeling uneasy enough, but then there’s whisperings of the suspicious death of her husband’s first wife. All this takes place in the wintry 1680s when strict religious beliefs, witchcraft and superstitions ran rampant. For me, the story and characters were good, but the strength of the book was the location and atmosphere.
Gripped me in a cold fist. Beautiful.
Crackles with tension. Moving and atmospheric, I couldn’t put it down.
Memorable and compelling. A novel about what haunts us — and what should.