I really enjoyed this historical fiction based on a true event in a Norwegian coastal village in 1617. A storm killed forty fishermen, wiping out the male population and leaving the women to learn how to survive without them. Their way of life is not threatened by the changes in their circumstance nor the bitter cold of the harsh environment they inhabit, but by the arrival of a new authority figure – Absalom Cornet, and his accompanying religious bigotry. I listened to this audiobook on RBdigital and found the narration only added to the beautiful writing style. I’m also glad I listened to this as I wouldn’t have known how to pronounce some of the names and words which are written in Norwegian that sound different to how they are written! The themes in this book are surprisingly current, touching on issues of social control, mob mentality, sisterhood and solidarity in response to paradigms of patriarchal power. A haunting and evocative book that I shall definitely read again.