Burial Rites

Burial Rites is Hannah Kent's debut novel, based on the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman executed in Iceland. Convicted of murdering two men, Agnes is sent to await her execution on the remote farm of District Officer Jón Jónsson and his family, who are horrified to have a convicted murderer living under their roof. A young assistant priest, Tóti, is assigned to prepare her spiritually for death, though he is unqualified and uncertain how to reach her.

As the harsh Icelandic winter closes in, Agnes slowly begins to tell her story to Tóti and to Margrét, the farmer's wife, revealing a more complicated account of the murders than the one for which she has been condemned. The family's initial fear and hostility give way to something more ambiguous as they come to know her.

Drawing on historical records and grounded in the physical hardship of nineteenth-century rural Iceland, the novel moves between Agnes's own voice and the perspectives of those around her, building a portrait of a woman denied the chance to defend herself and a community forced to reckon with what justice actually requires.