THE MULTI-AWARD-WINNING DEBUT SENSATION OF THE DECADEIn northern Iceland, 1829, authorities condemn Agnes Magnusdottir to death for her part in the brutal murder of two men.Agnes is sent to the farm of District Officer Jon Jonsson and his family to await execution. She is shunned by all, except the young reverend appointed as her spiritual guardian. As the summer months yield to a bitter winter, Agnes's story begins to emerge. And as her execution draws closer, the question burns more fiercely: did she or didn't she commit murder?Based on a true story, Burial Rites is a profoundly moving novel about the ultimate price of freedom and the risks we take for love.Praise for Burial Rites'A story of swirling sagas, poetry ... Holds an exhilaration that borders on the sublime' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'a wonderfully strange and haunting story' THE TIMES'a debut of rare sophistication and beauty' OBSERVER'beautiful and compelling' THE GUARDIAN