The Bell in the Lake: A Novel

by Lars Mytting, Deborah Dawkin (Translator)

Overview

The engrossing epic novel—a #1 bestseller in Norway—of a young woman whose fate plays out against her village’s mystical church bells

As long as people could remember, the stave church’s bells had rung over the isolated village of Butangen, Norway. Cast in memory of conjoined twins, the bells are said to ring on their own in times of danger. In 1879, young pastor Kai Schweigaard moves to the village, where young Astrid Hekne yearns for a modern life. She sees a way out on the arm of the new pastor, who needs a tie to the community to cull favor for his plan for the old stave church, with its pagan deity effigies and supernatural bells. When the pastor makes a deal that brings an outsider, a sophisticated German architect, into their world, the village and Astrid are caught between past and future, as dark forces come into play.

Lars Mytting, bestselling author of Norwegian Wood, brings his deep knowledge of history, carpentry, fishing, and stave churches to this compelling historical novel, an international bestseller sold in 12 countries. With its broad-canvas narrative about the intersection of religion, superstition, and duty, The Bell in the Lake is an irresistible story of ancient times and modern challenges, by a powerful international voice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419743184
Publisher:	The Overlook Press
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	375,051
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Lars Mytting, Norway’s bestselling novelist, is the author of Norwegian Wood. His books, which have sold over 1 million copies in 19 languages, have won the Norwegian Bookseller Prize and have been shortlisted for the prestigious Dublin IMPAC Prize, among others. The Bell in the Lake has been sold in 12 countries and was a #1 bestseller in Norway.

Editorial Reviews

2020-05-04
In a small Norwegian village, an ancient church is demolished.

A young pastor arrives in a remote Norwegian village. It’s 1880, but the village of Butangen could be a century behind the rest of the world. The pastor, Kai Schweigaard, arrives with modernizing ambitions. “The newspapers,” he observes, “published articles on inventions and changes in politics, a new era was on its way. This new era, this seismic shift in the times, required sound leadership, firmness and spiritual health.” But Butangen, which is overrun with Norse legends even older than the Christian faith that Schweigaard professes, presents a major challenge. That challenge is embodied in Butangen’s ancient church, built in the traditional stave method. With its intricate carvings of pagan gods, the church is a contradiction in terms. Schweigaard decides it must come down. Numerous obstacles stand in his way, chief among them a fiercely intelligent, independently minded young woman named Astrid. Initially, the two are attracted to each other, but as they find themselves, increasingly, on opposing sides, their relationship sours. Meanwhile, a young architect arrives from Dresden to oversee the demolition of the church. Mytting handles all this complicated material with a wonderful finesse. In Schweigaard, Astrid, and Gerhard, the architect, he has created distinct and memorable characters who echo each other in some ways and mute each other in others. Astrid is a particularly strong character, so it’s unfortunate that Mytting seems to lose track of her as the book goes on, choosing to focus instead on Gerhard, a romantic and idealistic figure. The book’s great strength, though, is its depiction of remote village life: It's a tiny world a world away from any other. Mytting hits rather heavily on some of the book’s other themes—Astrid’s choice between the icily rational Schweigaard and the dreamier Gerhard, for example—but, all in all, his first novel to appear in English is a major triumph.

A mesmerizing if occasionally heavy-handed book about architecture, fate, legend, and faith.

Kirkus Reviews

"In this first book of a magic-fueled historical trilogy, progress, religion and superstition are three forces fighting for the soul of a late-19th-century Norwegian village."

BookBrowse

"Lars Mytting is a masterful novelist. In The Bell In The Lake, he skillfully evokes a dark, moody, and tragic romance with masterful descriptive narrative and quirky, empathetic characters...Mytting presents us with a multidimensional story that blends romance, adventure, architecture and a cultural clash between the old ways and modernism."

The Girly Book Club

Mytting has created something beautiful, a perfect evocation of a place and a culture, a melding of old Norse tradition with the encroaching modern world…every element of the setting and those who inhabit it is crafted with consummate skill. This first in a trilogy will have readers eagerly awaiting the next by this accomplished author.”

Booklist

"The Bell in the Lake is a real page-turner. Mytting keeps the action moving, and brings enough emotion and passion into play to fully engage readers...And Mytting is quite the master of the quickly-sketched atmosphere: much of the novel is set in deep winter, and he conveys the cold exceptionally well; this is an ideal in-front-of-the-roaring-fireplace read."

The Complete Review

Evocative…a beautiful example of modern Norwegian folklore.

The Guardian

"The Bell in The Lake is a rare gem. It has a beautiful depth and interestingly developed characters. The compelling storyline is flawlessly woven with sharp prose and undeniable humor. Excellently balanced story with history and suspense makes it a seamless read."

Mystery and Suspense Magazine

beautiful… Mytting’s novel was based on local stories, but it is his evoking of the parsonage interior, the turn of the seasons and their physical impress on man and beast that give this book its vividness.

Historical Novels Review

"Its magic pure and its mysteries primordial, Lars Mytting’s novel The Bell in the Lake is a tour de force set in the untamed wilds of Norway. . . Both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring, The Bell in the Lake is an unforgettable novel that celebrates untamed faith."

Foreword Reviews

"Its magic pure and its mysteries primordial, Lars Mytting’s novel The Bell in the Lake is a tour de force set in the untamed wilds of Norway. . . Both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring, The Bell in the Lake is an unforgettable novel that celebrates untamed faith."—Foreword Reviews

“Mytting has created something beautiful, a perfect evocation of a place and a culture, a melding of old Norse tradition with the encroaching modern world…every element of the setting and those who inhabit it is crafted with consummate skill. This first in a trilogy will have readers eagerly awaiting the next by this accomplished author.”

—Booklist

“beautiful… Mytting’s novel was based on local stories, but it is his evoking of the parsonage interior, the turn of the seasons and their physical impress on man and beast that give this book its vividness.”—Historical Novels Review

“Evocative…a beautiful example of modern Norwegian folklore.”—The Guardian

"In this first book of a magic-fueled historical trilogy, progress, religion and superstition are three forces fighting for the soul of a late-19th-century Norwegian village."—BookBrowse

"The Bell in the Lake is a real page-turner. Mytting keeps the action moving, and brings enough emotion and passion into play to fully engage readers...And Mytting is quite the master of the quickly-sketched atmosphere: much of the novel is set in deep winter, and he conveys the cold exceptionally well; this is an ideal in-front-of-the-roaring-fireplace read."—The Complete Review

"Lars Mytting is a masterful novelist. In The Bell In The Lake, he skillfully evokes a dark, moody, and tragic romance with masterful descriptive narrative and quirky, empathetic characters...Mytting presents us with a multidimensional story that blends romance, adventure, architecture and a cultural clash between the old ways and modernism."—The Girly Book Club

"The Bell in The Lake is a rare gem. It has a beautiful depth and interestingly developed characters. The compelling storyline is flawlessly woven with sharp prose and undeniable humor. Excellently balanced story with history and suspense makes it a seamless read."
—Mystery and Suspense Magazine

From the Publisher