I’ve never read anything quite like this debut novel from the young author Hannah Kent. Set in early Victorian-era Iceland, it features a convicted murderess and the family assigned to house her until her execution.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of the original 3:10 to Yuma. A citizen us entrusted with keeping and safely transporting a criminal. In the meantime, the family must deal with their own fears and prejudices while living alongside the pariah. By being forced to acknowledge the convict, they also have to examine their philosophies.
Burial Rites follows this structure, and in so doing, forces the reader to reflect on their own feelings, but it does so in a completely unusual setting.
Check out an excerpt, and more, of this distinct book.
_________________________
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (September 10, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316243914
ISBN-13: 978-0316243919
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches