by Hannah Kent
First published 2014
Agnes Magnusdottir sits in a cold Icelandic farmhouse in 1829, condemned to die for the murder of her lover. The authorities have placed her with the family of Margret and Jon, who must house this convicted killer until her execution date arrives with winter's end. A young priest named Toti comes to prepare Agnes for death and hear her final confession. But Agnes carries secrets about that violent night. As the months pass and the family begins to see her as more than just a murderer, Agnes reveals the complicated truth behind the crime. The priest listens to her story of poverty, betrayal, and desperation. Winter deepens around them, bringing the execution closer, while Agnes struggles to make someone understand what really happened between her and the man she allegedly killed.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Iceland
Period: 1829
355 pages · Paperback · Picador
Content warnings: murder, violence