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 Schönauer, 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