Writers Abroad Magazine Issue 2 March 2015 | Page 18

WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE

Book Reviews
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Review by Vanessa Couchman
I often enjoy novels set in remote places, and Burial Rites
was no exception. It’s based on the last public execution in
Iceland in 1829. Agnes Magnusdottir is sentenced to death
for conspiracy to murder her on-off lover, the enigmatic
Natan.
Before her execution, Agnes is lodged with reluctant
farmers and assigned a young pastor to bring her to
spiritual readiness. The bleak story of her life emerges. The
author evokes a strong sense of place and the grinding
poverty and constant struggle with the uncompromising
elements.
Powerful passions were fomented in the squalid crofts in
the dark winter days. Pauper women like Agnes had to
travel between farms to find work and submit to the often
unwelcome attentions of the menfolk. Despite this, Agnes
retains her dignity and strength of character.
A terrific read with luminous prose and well-drawn characters. Highly recommended.

The Home and The World by Rabindranath Tagore, 1916
Review by Rilla Norslund
Moving to a new country and culture I find it useful to read
novels about my new home. When I first came to
Bangladesh I read what few novels I could find on this
country as well as a number on India, which helped me to
understand the culture and history of the subcontinent, and
more importantly, made it more interesting to be here. It
helped me know what to look for, and gave me the joy of
recognition when I saw and experienced things that I had
read about.
I wish I had read The Home and The World when I first came
to Dhaka, but I am grateful that I have found it at last.
I know Tagore from his Nobel Prize winning, self-translated
collection of poems, Gitanjali, which is to me, one of the most
beautiful pieces of art ever created. And now I have read his
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