Synopsis
'Immediate, intimate and never less than captivating' - Guardian
From the bestselling author of Burial Rites comes an exquisite memoir about her travels in Iceland, an extraordinary country that has forged a nation of storytellers.
When she was seventeen years old, Hannah Kent travelled to Iceland from Australia. She’d never seen snow before, didn’t speak a word of Icelandic. All she knew was that she wanted to have an experience – to soak up something of the world.
Soon she found herself isolated in a remote part of Iceland in a dark winter. It was a gruelling experience, but she quickly fell in love with the country: with its brutally beautiful landscapes and with its people. On returning home, with images of Iceland's towering glaciers and windswept tundras in her dreams, Hannah began to write.
Now, as a mother and a wife, she looks back to that extraordinary year in Iceland.
Praise for Burial Rites:
‘Outstanding’ – Madeline Miller
‘Gripping, intriguing and unique’ – Kate Mosse
‘One of the best Scandinavian crime novels I’ve read’ – Independent
‘Remarkable’ – The Sunday Times
‘A must-read’ – Grazia
Details
06 November 2025
9781035066339Reviews
Iceland feels personified in this memoir . . . immediate, intimate and never less than captivating . . . [a] behind-the-scenes view of the artist at work. . . . an absorbing memoir that will appeal to existing readers of Kent’s work, and will undoubtedly see new ones seek out her earlier writing in all its mystery and gloryGuardian Australia
A lovely memoir about the curious path she took to becoming a writer . . . [a] tender account of how Iceland captivated her and forged her literary careerThe Booklist
This memoir of Kent’s visit to Iceland as a teen details the source of her connection and her relationship with a country that now fetes her . . . Basking in the Northern Lights, she wonders if she can fit light on to paperSA Weekend
Kent has drawn on her talent for lyrical language and a box full of diaries, notebooks and correspondence to create evocative descriptions of Iceland. She immerses readers in the cultureSaturday Age
