Burial Rites is an amazing book. Iceland in the nineteenth century and Agnes has been found guilty of murder. This means only one thing, execution. Whilst waiting for the approval of Denmark, Agnes is sent to live with the family of a District Officer. (There are no prisons in Iceland.) While she is there, her story gradually unfolds and the literary device used by the author works superbly well. The book is based on a true story but it is the dramatic licence adopted by first time novelist Hannah Kent that works better than what is actually recorded about the events of 1829. Agnes is a wonderfully sad character and her relationships with the family and those involved with the deaths are expertly drawn. The hard life on the farms of northern Iceland is beautifully described, and so is the landscape. The last few chapters are very powerful but are written with care and humanity. A terrific debut.
The other choice for Book Club turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch started off so well. So I enjoyed Parts 1 and 3 set near the docks in Victorian London. The life of young Jaffy Brown is a very good read. But the long Part 2 is about his adventures at sea and this I found quite boring. It is only when he returns to dry land for the shorter conclusion that I the story is so much better. Although what happened to him on his voyage does make the last section so poignant it was worth the wait.
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