“Love, suspense, nature and superstition are woven together in this powerful novel” MAJA LUNDE, author of The History of Bees
“Lars Mytting writes with an insight, empathy and integrity few others can match” JO NESBØ
“An exquisitely atmospheric novel” DEREK B. MILLER, author of Norwegian by Night
“Lyrical, melancholy and with beautifully drawn characters, this pitches old beliefs against new ways with a haunting delicacy that rings true” Daily Mail
Norway, 1880. Astrid Hekne dreams of a life beyond her village, beyond marriage, children, and working the land to the end of her days.
Pastor Kai Schweigaard arrives to take over the small parish, with its 700-year-old stave church carved with pagan deities. The two bells in the tower, forged by Astrid’s forefather, are said to hold supernatural powers. The villagers are wary of the new pastor and his resolve to do away with their centuries-old traditions, but Astrid finds herself drawn to him.
Whe another stranger arrives from Dresden, with grand plans for the church itself, Astrid is thunderstruck. She has never met anyone like him; he seems so different, so sensitive. But will she choose her homeland and the pastor, or an uncertain future in Germany?
And then the bells begin to ring . . .
A previous Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month
Translated from the Norwegian by Deborah Dawkin
“Lars Mytting writes with an insight, empathy and integrity few others can match” JO NESBØ
“An exquisitely atmospheric novel” DEREK B. MILLER, author of Norwegian by Night
“Lyrical, melancholy and with beautifully drawn characters, this pitches old beliefs against new ways with a haunting delicacy that rings true” Daily Mail
Norway, 1880. Astrid Hekne dreams of a life beyond her village, beyond marriage, children, and working the land to the end of her days.
Pastor Kai Schweigaard arrives to take over the small parish, with its 700-year-old stave church carved with pagan deities. The two bells in the tower, forged by Astrid’s forefather, are said to hold supernatural powers. The villagers are wary of the new pastor and his resolve to do away with their centuries-old traditions, but Astrid finds herself drawn to him.
Whe another stranger arrives from Dresden, with grand plans for the church itself, Astrid is thunderstruck. She has never met anyone like him; he seems so different, so sensitive. But will she choose her homeland and the pastor, or an uncertain future in Germany?
And then the bells begin to ring . . .
A previous Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month
Translated from the Norwegian by Deborah Dawkin
Reviews
Lars Mytting's historical novel is captivating and engaging . . . With his powerful narrative style, intertwined story and detailed knowledge of carpentry, fishing and stave churches, there is reason to believe that this time he will again reach many many readers.
Magnificent historical novel
Love, suspense, nature and superstition are woven together in this powerful novel. Set in spectacular surroundings where anything can happen it will give the reader a taste of something deeply and genuinely Norwegian.
Lyrical, melancholy and with beautifully drawn characters, this pitches old beliefs against new ways with a haunting delicacy that rings true.
An exquisitely atmospheric novel about the struggle to cherish the beauty that is right in front of us; be it a blue-dark night, the bear-colored wood of a decaying stave church, or a love that is blooming through a late-thawing snow. The Bell in the Lake does what fiction promises: to steal you away to another world and ask you, if unfairly, to leave a little of your heart behind.
Mytting shows how landscape and climate can define a character . . . He delivers village wisdom . . . and jagged realism. It is a fireside read with splinters.
Mytting's cleverly crafted story heads inexorably to a moving conclusion
Mytting uses the love story to explore the clash between tradition and modernity
Rich, sinuous prose makes tangible the villagers' gritty perseverance in the face of poverty, isolation and the unpredictable climate . . . The Bell in the Lake is a beautiful example of modern Norwegian folklore
Lovers of good historical fiction are in for a real treat.
