Agnes Magnusdottir was the last person to be executed in Iceland. This was in 1829, and this novel is a fictionalised account of Agnes' life and how she came to be in such an unenviable position. The author, is a young Australian woman, who as an exchange student to Iceland in 2003, first learnt about Agnes and in her words, became 'transfigured' by this tragic figure. In an interview she did with the Guardian newspaper, she talks about the loneliness and feelings of alienation she felt as a teenager in this foreign landscape and culture she found herself in. Years of research followed and the result is this haunting, compassionate and beautifully written novel, with not only Agnes at its core, but also the landscape of Northern Iceland - desolate, bleak, harsh, and cold.
It would seem that Iceland has always been a place of high literacy, reflected in the meticulous records, letters and documents that the author was able to draw upon in her research and which she has incorporated into her writings. The facts of Agnes' life and the murders she was associated with are also well known, as are many of the stories that have evolved over the decades about her, and the people in her life during her last weeks.
The novel centres on the last six months of Agnes' life, when she is placed in the custody of a farming family near where the executions are to take place. The family consists of Jon and Margret, and their two daughters Steina and Lauga, who I take to be late teens/early twenties. As part of the sentencing process, Agnes is also under the care/instruction of a priest, and she has asked specifically for a particular young priest to be her guide. The family, understandably, is very wary about having a convicted murderess living with them. But over time Agnes who is 33, and has considerable knowledge and experience of farm work, herbal medicines and midwifery, becomes very human to the family. In addition, we learn the story of her terrible life and how she came to be convicted of the murders. She really had no hope at all in her life, and it probably was only a matter of time before something she couldn't control happened to her. It is awfully sad, but very powerful and unfortunately typical of the lives of many, many women through history and today.
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