Burial Rites

 

Last year I read the memoir of Hannah Kent, Always Home, Always Homesick, in which she mentions visiting the location where her novel Burial Rites was set. Burial Rites is a novel of historical fiction about Agnes Magnúsdóttir, who with two others was accused of murdering two men. Agnes was executed on 12 January 1830 for her alleged part in the crime.

 

In Burial Rites by Hannah Kent we first meet Agnes when she is in prison awaiting her execution. To say that she is being mistreated in prison would be an understatement. Then one day she is taken from prison to a farm where she is to spend the rest of her life. The farm is a property where she once lived as a young child. Most of the family is not welcoming to the new arrival. 

 

A minister is sent to prepare Agnes for her impending death but it is sometime before she feels that she can begin to confide in him. Eventually the reader learns about Agnes' early life as well as the events that led to the murder of her employer. We gradually come to know more about Agnes as a person.

 

This novel of historical fiction is based on historical records relating to the crime plus life in Iceland at the time. This first novel by Hannah Kent won a number of awards in 2014 including the Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist, ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, Indie Awards Debut Fiction Book of the Year, Victorian Premier's People's Choice Award, Booksellers Association Booksellers Choice Award and shortlisted for a number of other prizes.

Ghost Stories on the Trail of Agnes Magnúsdóttir - Stuck in Iceland 

Agnes Magnúsdóttir - Find a Grave

The Place of the Last Execution in Iceland - Total Iceland

Always Home, Always Homesick

When Hannah Kent was seventeen she travelled to Iceland as a Rotary exchange student. She did not know the language and although there were a number of other Rotary exchange students in Iceland at the time they were in Reykjavik while Hannah was hosted in Saudarktokur in the north of the island. Arriving in mid-winter Hannah also had to acclimatise to only a few hours of sunlight during winter plus long periods of daylight during the summer.

Always Home, Always Homesick is an account of Hannah's experiences living in a land very different from home in Australia. During the twelve months she lived with three different host families, each providing different experiences. However it is with Petur and Regina and their ever-growing family that Hannah felt most at home.

While in Iceland Hannah decided that she really does want a career in writing and enrolled in a course to study creative writing when she returned to Australia. 

While in Iceland Hannah learned about the belief in local spirits and ghosts held by the locals. She learned to appreciate the traditions of the country and that she is in a special place. Then she visited the site where the last execution was held in Iceland and began to learn the story of Agnes Magnusdottir who was beheaded in 1830.

Back home, Hannah found that she could not forget the story of Agnes and was determined to find more information about the story which became the basis for her first novel - Burial Rites. 

Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent is an account of the author's visits to Iceland over the years  as well as the challenging journey of researching and writing the novel.

Always home, always homesick won the non-fiction award in the 2026 ABA Book Awards.