Hannah Kent
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent is based on the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last person to be executed for murder in Iceland in 1829. Kent researched the material for many years, pouring over official records, parish archives, census reports, local histories, and publications. Selections from some of these official documents are interspersed between chapters. And while Kent invented some characters or altered their names, others can be found in historical records.
Agnes, found guilty of a brutal double murder, is taken to live in an isolated farm while awaiting execution. The farmer, his wife, and two grown daughters are initially horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer. But as the days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, they develop an attachment to Agnes. In turn, Agnes learns to trust them and gradually reveals her life story. The family and priest assigned to hear her confession grow increasingly sympathetic toward her until they recognize she is only partially to blame for the murder and does not deserve to be executed.
An illegitimate child born into poverty and abandoned by her mother at a young age, Agnes has had to fend for herself all her life. She is shuffled from one farm to another, first as a foster child and then as a housekeeper. Exploited and unceremoniously tossed out wherever she lives, she eventually agrees to take a position as a housekeeper to Natan Ketilsson, a man she passionately loves. Desperate to believe her feelings are reciprocated, she soon discovers her mistake. Natan is cruel, abusive, manipulative, deceptive, and exploitative. She is accused of murdering him in a jealous rage.
By fleshing out skeletal archival evidence, Kent imaginatively conveys the tragic circumstances surrounding Agnes Magnúsdóttir’s life. The third-person narrative is punctuated with lyrical, haunting passages in which Agnes speaks in the first person. She emerges as an intelligent, literate, sympathetic character, mired in poverty, deprived of affection, and with very limited options available to her as a woman. Her powerful, poignant monologues gush with anger, pain, despair, and loneliness.
The hauntingly beautiful but challenging Iceland landscape serves as the backdrop for Agnes’ story. Kent’s skillful evocation of atmosphere is impressive: Iceland’s bone-chilling winters; the sparse, cramped living conditions; the sights, sounds, and pungent smells of the surroundings; and the arduous manual tasks involved in sustaining a farm. Against this unforgiving climate is a woman awaiting her execution, seething at the injustice of the fate she has been dealt. The tone of impending doom gradually builds up until Agnes’ final days.
Hannah Kent’s treatment of Agnes’ story invites us to ponder the legitimacy of Agnes’ execution. Was justice served in executing her? Or was Agnes a victim of her times? This was a time in which poverty left women with very limited options. Their intelligence and healing skills were viewed with suspicion and fear. Ownership of their sexuality made them vulnerable to slanderous gossip and accusations of moral depravity.
We may never know the complete story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir. But Hannah Kent’s treatment of her invites us to ask the right questions.
Highly recommended.