Prologue

The small prologue is the most haunting passage from the novel and reveals much about the current situation of Agnes, the condemned. By repeating the word ‘they’, she sets up a force in opposition to her and the use of the imperative verb ‘must’ reinforces her lack of control. Her fate has been decided, and she must be punished for what crimes she has been accused of. From the beginning, Agnes plays with the ambiguity of the charges brought against her – ‘they said that I stole the breath from men…’ (p1) and as such hook her readers who are eager to read further and ascertain for themselves whether she actually did the deed.

There is a sense of resignation in her tone that the ‘candle flame’ of her life will soon be ‘blow[n] [me] out’ (p1) and she is certain that she will fail to be remembered; which first introduces the concept of recollection and legacy. The ominous ‘awful, coming footsteps’ (p1) villainise her captors and readers are enticed to read on to learn the nature of these footsteps that come to her.

Prologue Quotes

They said I must die. They said that I stole the breath from men, and now they must steal mine. (Agnes at Stora Borg) Prologue

… in the stillness of the room I hear footsteps, awful coming footsteps, coming to blow me out and send my life away from my in a grey wreath of smoke. (Agnes at Stora Borg) Prologue

Chapter 1 (pp 3-32)

In the opening chapter, readers are introduced to the first of many official documents that frame most of the chapters throughout the novel. The first letter is a public notice informing citizens of the area that a public auction will be held to sell off the valuables of the late farmer, Natan Ketilsson. His possessions are meagre and the possibility of the auction occurring is dependant on the weather.

The second letter is a confirmation written by District Commissioner Bjorn Blondal assuring the Reverend Johann Tomasson (Toti’s father) that despite Petur Jonsson’s (who was murdered alongside Natan) previous convictions for ‘robbery, theft and receiving stolen property’ (p4), he will be buried in accordance with the Christian burial rites. He had been convicted and sentenced to hard labour in Copenhagen (mainland Denmark) but was, at the time of his murder, a free man awaiting official sentencing. He is therefore awarded what the bodies of the executed Agnes and Fridrick are later denied.

The third and final letter for this chapter is a request from the District Commissioner Blondal once more, this time to the younger Reverend Thorvadur Jonsson (Toti). We are informed that Toti has only recently acquired his full license to minister and has been assigned responsibility of the spiritual education of the children in the region, of which Blondal seems to deem of ‘undoubted value, but it is of little political import’ (p7). As such, the tension between these two is immediately laid; Blondal makes the request for Toti to become Agnes’ spiritual liaison but deems it above the young minister’s capacity. In his letter, Blondal also situates the condemned; informing us by proxy (through his correspondence to Toti) that Sigridur Gumundsdottir (Sigga) has been moved to Midhop, and Agnes Magnusdottir is being relocated from the hold in Stora-Borg to a farm settlement in Kornsa. As if anticipating Toti’s ostentatiousness, Blondal reminds Toti to keep any inkling of ‘flattery’ (p7) aside, and to concentrate on bringing the condemned to a place of repentance and acknowledgement.

Toti accepts the challenge and as the first chapter opens, he traverses the difficult landscape on horseback to meet Agnes as she arrives at the family farm of Kornsa.

Just prior to this, Blondal has chosen to physically attend the Jonsson family and inform them that their duty (with their father Jon as appointed District Officer) is to house the condemned leading up to her execution. Naturally, the two Jonsson daughters, Lauga and Steina, are both curious and repulsed by the concept. The patriarchal nature of Icelandic society is demonstrated in the girls’ response as they follow their mother Margret’s example and acquiesce to their father and, by extension, Blondal. The girls have a strong respect for their mother and although they observe her fervent objection to the concept of having a murderer under her roof, they are not surprised to see her resign after Jon speaks further with Blondal and his orders are confirmed. This chapter offers us insight into the fractious relationship between the sisters. Lauga, the youngest by a year, seems more in tune with social behaviours, seen in her aggression toward her sister when Steina fails to show Blondal the utmost respect upon his visit to the house.

Kent’s narrative shifts back to first-person as Agnes awaits her transfer in the dank confines of the Stora-Borg holding. Her memories sustain her, and as the season begins to thaw and the wind has ‘lost its teeth’ (p19), she makes the fateful decision to accept her fate and hold tight to what she knows and the person she has become.

As the chapter continues, despite Toti’s nervousness about the task ahead, he seems dedicated to bringing his ‘sister in Jesus’ (p32) to God, professing quietly to himself that ‘I [he] will save her’ (p32). It remains to be seen whether he intends to save her soul, or her neck.

Chapter 1 Quotes

As you will be aware, our community has recently been darkened by the shadow of crime. The Illugastadir murders, committed last year, have in their heinousness emblematised the corruption and ungodliness of this county… I intend to execute the Illugastadir murderers. (Blondal, in his letter to Toti) Chapter 1

‘It is with some uncertainty that I approach you for this task…you may yourself admit that you are too pale in experience to know how to bring this condemned woman to the Lord and His infinite mercy… it is a weight that I would hesitate to bestow on the shoulders of experienced clergymen.’  (Blondal, in his letter to Toti) Chapter 1

Blondal slowly rose to his full height. ‘Your father’s title comes with responsibility. I’m sure he would not question me.’ (Blondal, to Steina and Lauga when they protest Agnes being held at their farm) Chapter 1

They will say ‘Agnes’ and see the spider, the witch caught in the webbing of her own fateful weaving. They might see the lamb circled by ravens, bleating for a lost mother. But they will not see me. (Agnes) Chapter 1

We are all God’s children, he thought to himself. This woman is my sister in Jesus, and I, as her spiritual brother, must guide her home. (Toti) Chapter 1

Chapter 2 (pp 35-55)

A small excerpt of a letter describing the condemned Agnes as having ‘an excellent intellect, a strong knowledge and understanding of Christianity’ is a notation that was written about her when she undertook her confirmation at age 14. The letter is dated 1928, so someone has sent enquiries about Agnes’ history.

We switch back to first person, as Agnes is shackled and taken by armed guards to the homestead of Kornsa. We sympathise with Agnes’ realisation that she has become little more than an animal, suddenly aware that she is ‘rank’ (p34) and ‘scabbed with dirt’ (p34) and no longer remembers when she last bathed. As such, she struggles with her identity as she has become an entity she no longer recognises and at first that’s the reason she suspects the crowd gathers to watch her. It’s not until ‘Fjandi! Devil!’ (p35) is shouted out from the crowd that she remembers how despised she is among society. Amongst the unfriendly faces of the crowd, Agnes spots Rosa (Natan’s previous lover) and her little daughter. Allusions to ‘small violences’ (p35) are made as she recalls how her captors at Stora-Borg have treated her and there is a resignation in this, an acceptance of how she’s been treated and she has no reason to expect anything different when she arrives at her new holding.

With Toti’s arrival, the family at Kornsa are tense and they express their concern to him, seeking an empathetic ear to their worry that she will ‘kill us [them] in our [their] sleep’ (p39). Agnes’ arrival in the middle of the night provides an ominous backdrop for first introductions, and Margret (who must receive Agnes in her husband’s absence) becomes all the more disagreeable as she is reminded once again, this time by the youthful minister Toti, of her duty.

Upon Agnes’ arrival, Toti is rendered speechless by her wild appearance, and wrestles with competing feelings of disgust and attraction. But his kindly nature wrestles with how she has been injured so badly and in the end he resigns himself that it ‘might have been an accident’ (p 49), this being the easier conclusion for him to grapple with.

The following morning, we learn that the gossip concerning Agnes has begun but Margret pays little heed to it; Agnes continues to fascinate her. She observes Agnes’ ‘striking’ (p52) beauty and with her inky, black hair (unusual in Iceland) she could comprehend Natan being drawn to her.

Chapter 2 Quotes

At first I did not know why these people stood about, men and women alike, each still and staring at me in silence. Then I understood that it was not me they stared at. I understood that these people did not see me. I was two dead men. I was a burning farm. I was a knife. I was blood. (Agnes, as she is being transferred from Stora-Borg) Chapter 2

‘You are a man, a young man, yes, but a man of God. I don’t think she would kill you. But us? My daughters? Lord, how will we sleep in peace?’ (Margret speaking to Toti about her fears that Agnes might hurt them all) Chapter 2

The man laughed. ‘I don’t like her [Agnes’] chances. Blondal’s behind the youngest. They say she reminds him of his wife. This one… Well, Blondal wants to set an example.’ (The guards to Toti) Chapter 2

The walls had once been panelled with Norwegian wood, but Jon had removed the boards to pay a debt owed to a farmer across the valley. Now the bare walls of turf collapsed their dirt and grass onto the beds in summer, and grew dank in winter, issuing moulds that dripped onto the woollen blankets and infested the lungs of the household. The home has begun to disintergrate, a hovel that had spread its own state of collapse to its inhabitants. (The Jonsson house) Chapter 2

Invigorated by a sudden curl of anger, Margret pointed to the irons about the woman’s wrists. ‘Is it necessary to keep her bound like a lamb ripe for slaughter?’ (Margret, upon meeting Agnes for the first time) Chapter 2

But this woman was neither ugly nor a beauty. Striking perhaps, but not the sort to inspire hungry glances from young men. She was very slender, elf-slender as the southerners would put it, and of an ordinary height. (Margret observing Agnes) Chapter 2

Chapter 3 (pp 57-84)

A small excerpt of the Supreme Court Trials has been included at the beginning of this chapter. A fitting reminder that the woman who has just arrived at the Kornsa home has been accused and found guilty of killing and then setting fire to the bodies of Natan and Petur to ensure that the ‘evil work would not be apparent’ (p57).

On her first morning, Margret sets Agnes to work. Having already lost two servants the previous year from various maladies, Margret has every intention of employing Agnes to help out on the farm, reminding her that she shall ‘pay for my [Margret’s] inconvenience’ (p62). In such a small community, news has travelled fast and before the morning is over, Snaebjorn, his wife Roslin and three of their children pay an unexpected visit to quiz Margret on her new charge. Despite bringing a small gift of rye bread, it’s clear that the ‘horde’ (p63) have come to leer at Agnes and Margret refuses to play into the woman’s suspicions and admits Agnes is being housed in her home until her execution. The transparent efforts of the gossiping Roslin to acquire all the sordid details about the murders as her ‘face [was] flushed with excitement’ (p65) over the rumours, irritates Margret to such an extent that, ironically, she defends her guest and steers the conversation away from Agnes. In addition, Margret’s respiratory affliction becomes evident in this chapter as she coughs to such as extent that even the dense Roslin is concerned. Roslin, heavy with child, serves as a reminder to Margret of her mortality.

Meanwhile, Agnes’ thoughts are dominated by memories of Natan. Although she tries to dismiss these invasive recollections, she continues to dream the life they shared together. Her sense of alienation is profound and she remains assured, despite his meanness, that he would be ‘the only person who would understand how I [she] feels’ (p83). Her suggestion that she regrets that he is dead leaves readers with a gnawing suspicion that there’s more to that fateful night at Illugastadir then we yet know. We see glimpses of her frustration at her circumstances, at being ‘knifed to the hilt with fate’ (p84), as she inwardly berates herself for choosing Toti to coach her toward execution.

Steina’s kindness and curiousity toward Agnes is juxtaposed by her sister Lauga’s fury when she catches her handling her confirmation brooch and lashes out. Naturally, Margret assumes the worst and slaps Agnes, warning her that she must ‘prove her penitence’ (p74). Despite her readiness to resort to physical violence, Margret is taxed by her actions toward the prisoner.

Chapter 3 Quotes

‘I shall make no secret of my displeasure to you. I don’t want you in my home. I don’t want you near my children… I have been forced to keep you here, and you…’ She [Margret] falters a little. ‘You are forced to be kept.’ (Margret to Agnes) Chapter 3

‘… for having to keep a murderess under your family’s roof! For being forced to look at her hideous face every day! For the fear it must inspire in you, for your own good self and your husband and poor daughters!’ (Chapter 3) 

Chapter 4 (pp 85-111)

A letter from Blondal begins this chapter. A chilling reminder that Agnes and Fridrick have already been condemned, as his correspondence informs, the Deputy Governor tells that a local blacksmith has been commissioned to build the axe that will be used to behead the two. There has been some discrepancy over which axe to purchase and at what price it should be acquired.

In an effort to try and understand more of Agnes and the situation at Illugastadir, Toti travels to Undirfell to speak to the Reverend in situ there. He learns that Agnes’ intelligence singled her out from a young age and made her unpopular in the valley where she worked. Dagga, the mistress at Undirfell, is unsympathetic toward Agnes’ plight and blames her inability to settle down and marry (as was the expectation of the era) on being ‘a bastard pauper with a conniving spirit’ (p92). In her eyes, there is little more to be said about the woman who ‘couldn’t keep a man’ (p 92) and Toti finds himself being unable to believe such observations about Agnes. The apathetic manner with which his questions are met by the Reverend of Undirfell is enough to see him renewed with vigor and he returns to Kornsa, his manner much altered. Agnes finds herself opening up to him a little more as his ‘ordinary way’ (p98) of speaking with her puts her at ease and she admits her struggles with being an outsider among the community and believes that fate has been against her from the moment she was born into a life of poverty and hardship. There’s a sense that Agnes believes the elusive ‘they’ are intent on condemning her no matter what and she feels victimised – ‘every time I said something they would change my words and throw it back to me like an insult, or an accusation’ (p98). There is some competition between Margret and Toti over Agnes’ role as she is called away from her meeting with Toti for housework.

Agnes’ story is set against the cycle of the farming calendar. July is harvest time and it is for the harvest that she is absconded by Margret to work the lands. The farm at Kornsa is short-staffed and, as such, Agnes is entrusted to wield a scythe (a long sharp blade swung back and forth to harvest quickly) in order to help with the hay-making. It is this action, of being entrusted with such a mighty weapon and being set to work, that finally allows Agnes to feel ‘dizzy with pleasure’ (p103), lulled into a distracted state.

Chapter 4 Quotes

‘Couldn’t keep a man, something about her. Couldn’t settle. This valley is small and she had a reputation for a sharp tongue and loose skirts.’ (Dagga to Toti, about Agnes) Chapter 4

They did not let me say what happened in my own way, but took my memories of Illugastadir, of Natan, and wrought them onto something sinister; they wrested my statement of that night and made me seem malevolent. Everything I said was taken from me and altered until the story wasn’t my own. (Agnes) Chapter 4

Toti thought for a moment. ‘What was your mother’s mistake?’
‘I’ve been told she made many, Reverend. But at least one of those mistakes was me. She was unlucky.’ (Agnes and Toti) Chapter 4

Memories shift like loose snow in a wind, or are a chorale of ghosts talking over one another. There is only ever a sense that what is real to me is not real to others, and to share a memory with someone is to risk sullying my belief in what has truly happened. (Agnes) Chapter 4

Chapter 5 (pp 113–138)

This chapter begins with a small poem written by Rosa, Natan’s former lover and the mother of his child. It is written first in native Icelandic, and then translated into English. A poem in response to Rosa has been included, authored by Agnes.

Margret’s friend Ingibjorg visits from a nearby farm. It is her intention to aid her friend, as most are now aware that Margret’s cough is getting worse and inhibits her work, so she calls by to help. Naturally, their conversation falls to Agnes and Margret reflects that she is quite surprised by Agnes, who says so little that ‘her lips might as well be sewn over’ (p116) and that she is quite fascinated by her. Agnes’ silence, as it turns out, is no countenance for the flurry of memories that flood their way through her mind as she works the Kornsa land. Not only are her nightmares a consistent reminder ‘of what will happen, of how fast the days are passing me [her] by’ (p119), by day she is lulled into a fantasy that she has resumed her station as a work maid and is ‘soothed’ (p120) by the hard work. She dreads the winter, associating its harsh obliteration of ‘sun and warmth’ (p120) with the end of her time on earth.

Agnes’ unexpected sympathy is illustrated as she recollects the difficulty of her mother, Ingveldur, whose circumstances gave her little choice but to endure the lecherous abuse of her employers, only to be cast aside upon finding herself with child. Just as her mother did, Agnes resigns herself to this circumstance as it mirrors the generational disempowerment of women. Her response is one of apathetic stoicism, characteristic of her default response to most of the trauma she has experienced in life.

As Steina’s attraction to Agnes grows, she inadvertently informs Agnes of Sigga’s appeal and she breaks down. The sudden realisation that Sigga will most likely be freed tortures Agnes as she learns that Blondal has been behind the petition to free the younger girl and later, as Toti comforts her, she acknowledges that Sigga is too ‘dumb and pretty and young’ (p131) to die. Agnes believes a thinking woman is a threat to the patriarchal system and she shoulders the blame for not being ‘young and simple-minded’ (p132) which she is convinced would alleviate the guilt from her shoulders. Toti’s silence and inability to rebut her suggestion indicates his accord with her and sets him apart from Blondal and the rest who seem intent on bending the law to rid society of those they perceive as a threat.

Chapter 5 Quotes

‘No doves come from ravens’ eggs,’ Margret agreed. (Margret discussing Agnes’ mother Ingveldur) Chapter 5

I thought I could be a servant here. Over a month has passed at Kornsa and already I have forgotten what will become of me. (Agnes) Chapter 5

But talking to him only reminds me of how everything in my life has worked against me, and how unloved I have been… I am a fool to think we speak the same tongue. I may as well be talking to him with a stone in my mouth trying to find a language that we both understand. (Agnes about Toti) Chapter 5

‘Lauga’s scared of you, you know. She’s been listening to Roslin and her lies. But I don’t believe a word that gossip says. I remember you from before. I remember how kind you were, giving us your food like that.’ Steina leaned in closer. ‘I don’t think you killed them,’ she whispered. (Steina to Agnes) Chapter 5

They will free Sigga but they will not free me because I am Agnes – bloody, knowing Agnes. (Agnes after learning of Sigga’s appeal) Chapter 5

‘I can turn to that day as though it were a page in a book. It’s written so deeply upon my mind I can almost taste the ink.’ (Agnes to Toti, when he questions her about the day her mother died) Chapter 5