When a disgraced TV presenter takes up the role of housekeeper on an isolated Norwegian fjord, she develops a chilling, obsessive relationship with her employer ... an award-winning, simply stunning debut psychological thriller from one of Norway's finest writers. ***As heard on BBC Books at Bedtime*** ***WINNER of the English PEN Translation Award*** ***Shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award*** ***Shortlisted for the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year*** 'An unrelenting atmosphere of doom ...
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When a disgraced TV presenter takes up the role of housekeeper on an isolated Norwegian fjord, she develops a chilling, obsessive relationship with her employer ... an award-winning, simply stunning debut psychological thriller from one of Norway's finest writers. ***As heard on BBC Books at Bedtime*** ***WINNER of the English PEN Translation Award*** ***Shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award*** ***Shortlisted for the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year*** 'An unrelenting atmosphere of doom fails to prepare readers for the surprising resolution' Publishers Weekly 'Unfolds in an austere style that perfectly captures the bleakly beautiful landscape of Norway's far north' Irish Times ------------------------ Two people in exile. Two secrets. As the past tightens its grip, there may be no escape... TV presenter Allis Hagtorn leaves her partner and her job to take voluntary exile in a remote house on an isolated fjord. But her new job as housekeeper and gardener is not all that it seems, and her silent, surly employer, 44-year-old Sigurd Bagge, is not the old man she expected. As they await the return of his wife from her travels, their silent, uneasy encounters develop into a chilling, obsessive relationship, and it becomes clear that atonement for past sins may not be enough... Haunting, consuming and powerful, The Bird Tribunal is a taut, exquisitely written psychological thriller that builds to a shocking, dramatic crescendo that will leave you breathless. ------------------------ 'Reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith - and I can't offer higher praise than that - Agnes Ravatn is an author to watch' Philip Ardagh 'A tense and riveting read' Financial Times 'Crackling, fraught and hugely compulsive slice of Nordic Noir ... tremendously impressive' Big Issue 'Beautifully done ... dark, psychologically tense and packed full of emotion both overt or deliberately disguised' Raven Crime Reads 'Ravatn creates a creeping sense of unease, elegantly bringing the peace and menace of the setting to vivid life. The isolated house on the fjord is a character-like shadow in this tale of obsessions. This is domestic suspense with a twist - creepy and wonderful' New Books Magazine 'The Bird Tribunal offers an incredible richness of themes ... The atonement for the past sins and the titular bird tribunal carry powerful messages, as well as questions of morality and humanity...' Crime Review 'The Bird Tribunal is suffused with dark imagery from the ancient Eddas, creating a foreboding atmosphere that gets under the skin and stays there. Like a lunar eclipse, each revelation is another form of darkness' Crime Fiction Lover 'Chilling, atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful ... I was transfixed' Amanda Jennings 'Intriguing ... enrapturing' Sarah Hilary 'A masterclass in suspense and delayed terror, reading it felt like I was driving at top speed towards a cliff edge - and not once did I want to take my foot off the pedal' Rod Reynolds 'A beautifully written story set in a captivating landscape ... it keeps you turning the pages' Sarah Ward
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The genre of noir is difficult to define precisely, but it generally involves crime or evil with an internalized focus on the participants. It often takes a harsh view of its characters and of human nature. The internal focus of noir distinguishes it from the "who done it" character of crime fiction or the police procedural. Noir is also as much a matter of its particular setting and atmosphere as of its story. Much of noir is set in large American cities such as New York, Los Angeles or Philadelphia, but it also is also set in rural areas Readers interested in country noir may be interested in a recent study by Jay Gertzman, "Beyond Twisted Sorrow: the Promise of Country Noir" (2022). And of course, noir is often set outside the United States. Noir is always tied to its specific setting, whether urban or rural, in America or elsewhere.
Over the years I have become increasingly fond of noir, both in fiction and in film. and have tried to explore the genre in its variety. Thus, I enjoyed reading Agnes Ravatn's (b. 1983) novel "The Bird Tribunal" which is set in a remote rural area in a Norwegian fjord. Published in 2013, the novel was translated into English in 2017 by Rosie Hedger, and it became an international best-seller. With its focus on its characters inner lives, on guilt and wrongdoing, and on its sense of place, "The Bird Tribunal" has a strongly noir character with elements, in its setting in a large, old house, as well of a Gothic tale.
"The Bird Tribunal" is a short novel best read in a few connected sittings. It tells of the interactions of two flawed, isolated people in an isolated rural area of Norway. Allis Hagtorn, 32, narrates the tale. She has left her job as a television announcer in a large city and her marriage under strange, ill-defined circumstances. She answers an ad to become a gardener and housekeeper for the rural home of Sigurd Bagge, 44 who at first tells Allis that his wife is temporarily away on travel. Much of the story is told in dialogue without the use of quotation marks or in the reflections of the characters. The relationship between Hagtorn and Bagge is tense and reserved from the outset. As the story develops, the characters' relationship to each other takes many turns as they learn about each other. Both Allis and Sigurd have a great deal of darkness in their past and present lives. The characters, the novel suggests, are ingrained and difficult to overcome. The novel develops deliberately and suspensefully with a shattering denouement.
The setting is an integral part of the story, with its large deteriorating house, the Norwegian waters and fjords, the gardens and the plants and animals, the country roads, small stores, and sense of isolation and loneliness. It is a noirish setting that complements the story.
Much of the story is told in realistic terms, but it includes as well strongly symbolic sections, including extensive discussions of early Norwegian myth and of an imagined bird tribunal from which the book gets its name. Birds play a large role in the story. These mythological and symbolic sections enhance the story even though they are overly long and detailed.
The novel seems mannered and artificially put together in places. On the whole, it was effective in offering a noir-tinged vision of human character and place. Most readers are likely to enjoy this book. The book helped broaden my understanding of the breadth and scope of the noir genre.
