The Bell in the Lake

" 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 NESBO "An exquisitely atmospheric novel . . . 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" 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 THE TIMES' "Historical Fiction Book of the Month" The first in a rich historical trilogy that draws on legend, by a literary craftsman and the author of The Sixteen Trees of the Somme Norway, 1880. Winter is hard in Butangen, a village secluded at the end of a valley. The lake has frozen, and for months the ground is too hard to bury the dead. Astrid Hekne dreams of a life beyond all this, beyond marriage, children, and working the land to the end of her days. Then Pastor Kai Schweigaard takes over the small parish, with its 700-year-old stave church carved with pagan deities. The two bells in the tower were forged by Astrid's forefather in the sixteenth century, in memory of conjoined twins Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne. They are said to hold supernatural powers. The villagers are wary of the pastor and his resolve to do away with their centuries-old traditions, though Astrid also finds herself drawn to him. And then a stranger arrives from Dresden, with grand plans for the church itself. For headstrong Astrid this may be a provocation too far. Talented architecture student Gerhard Schonauer is an improbable figure in this rugged community. Astrid has never met anyone like him; he seems so different, so sensitive. She finds that she must make a choice: for her homeland and the pastor, or for an uncertain future in Germany. Then the bells begin to ring . . . Translated from the Norwegian by Deborah Dawkin With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union

" 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 NESBO "An exquisitely atmospheric novel . . . 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" 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 THE TIMES' "Historical Fiction Book of the Month" The first in a rich historical trilogy that draws on legend, by a literary craftsman and the author of The Sixteen Trees of the Somme Norway, 1880. Winter is hard in Butangen, a village secluded at the end of a valley. The lake has frozen, and for months the ground is too hard to bury the dead. Astrid Hekne dreams of a life beyond all this, beyond marriage, children, and working the land to the end of her days. Then Pastor Kai Schweigaard takes over the small parish, with its 700-year-old stave church carved with pagan deities. The two bells in the tower were forged by Astrid's forefather in the sixteenth century, in memory of conjoined twins Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne. They are said to hold supernatural powers. The villagers are wary of the pastor and his resolve to do away with their centuries-old traditions, though Astrid also finds herself drawn to him. And then a stranger arrives from Dresden, with grand plans for the church itself. For headstrong Astrid this may be a provocation too far. Talented architecture student Gerhard Schonauer is an improbable figure in this rugged community. Astrid has never met anyone like him; he seems so different, so sensitive. She finds that she must make a choice: for her homeland and the pastor, or for an uncertain future in Germany. Then the bells begin to ring . . . Translated from the Norwegian by Deborah Dawkin With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union

An internationally bestselling epic of faith, myth, and passion set against the harsh beauty of late 19th-century Norway. For generations, the remote village of Butangen has lived under the shadow of its 700-year-old stave church and two legendary bells, cast in memory of conjoined twins Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne. The bells ring on their own in times of impending disaster--a dark warning that has governed local life for centuries. In 1879, two outsiders arrive to disrupt Butangen's fragile quiet: Kai Schweigaard , a young, reform-minded pastor who arranges to sell the ancient church to a museum in Dresden to build a modern sanctuary for his congregation. Gerhard Sch?nauer , a sophisticated German architect tasked with dismantling the structure piece by piece for transport across the fjord. Caught between them is Astrid Hekne , a fierce young woman who dreams of a life beyond the village's rigid traditions. As Gerhard uncovers the church's hidden pagan carvings and Astrid fights to preserve her family's heritage, a bitter confrontation ignites between progress and ancient belief--setting off a chain of events that will echo through generations. Praise for Lars Mytting: "A beautiful evocation of a place and a culture, a melding of old Norse tradition with the encroaching modern world." -- Booklist

An internationally bestselling epic of faith, myth, and passion set against the harsh beauty of late 19th-century Norway. For generations, the remote village of Butangen has lived under the shadow of its 700-year-old stave church and two legendary bells, cast in memory of conjoined twins Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne. The bells ring on their own in times of impending disaster--a dark warning that has governed local life for centuries. In 1879, two outsiders arrive to disrupt Butangen's fragile quiet: Kai Schweigaard , a young, reform-minded pastor who arranges to sell the ancient church to a museum in Dresden to build a modern sanctuary for his congregation. Gerhard Sch?nauer , a sophisticated German architect tasked with dismantling the structure piece by piece for transport across the fjord. Caught between them is Astrid Hekne , a fierce young woman who dreams of a life beyond the village's rigid traditions. As Gerhard uncovers the church's hidden pagan carvings and Astrid fights to preserve her family's heritage, a bitter confrontation ignites between progress and ancient belief--setting off a chain of events that will echo through generations. Praise for Lars Mytting: "A beautiful evocation of a place and a culture, a melding of old Norse tradition with the encroaching modern world." -- Booklist