Review: The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn

The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn, Rosie Hedger
Published by Orenda Books on January 1st 2017
Pages: 185
Goodreads

TV presenter Allis Hagtorn leaves her partner and her job to take voluntary exile in remote house on an isolated fjord. But her new job as housekeeper and gardener is not all that it seems, and her silent, surly employer, 44-year-old Sigurd Bagge, is not the old man she expected. As they await the return of his wife from her travels, their silent, uneasy encounters develop into a chilling, obsessive relationship, and it becomes clear that atonement for past sins may not be enough. Haunting, consuming and powerful, The Bird Tribunal is a taut, exquisitely written psychological thriller that builds to a shocking, dramatic crescendo that will leave you breathless.

I’m off to Book Expo later this morning but wanted to sneak in one more post before I go. This one is long overdue owing, for the most part, to my lack of technical skills. There is really no excuse but, you see, this is the first time I have successfully installed a Mobi file onto my Kindle. I will not say how long it took.My previous attempts all ended in frustration and wine. This time, however, I was so successful that I now have six copies on my Kindle! My sincere apologies to Karen at Orenda Books for the length of time it has taken me to read and review this book.

The Bird Tribunal had me hooked right away. It feels, and it is, more like a literary mystery. It’s very beautifully written and everything about it conveys a sense of quiet foreboding. The isolated location, the fjord, the gardens, and the little house in which Allis and Sigurd come to know one another combine to create an atmosphere which lends itself perfectly to this novel full of suspense and mystery.

The character development is very interesting as Allis and Sigurd’s characters are very well-developed but only very slowly revealed. The author feeds us just a little at a time and we know that at least one of them is not fully what they seem. Or could it be both?

The pacing is just perfect for this one hundred ninety-four page read. Even while all was going swimmingly, I felt compelled to keep turning the pages. In fact, this false sense of security only served to intensify the level of suspense for me. The reader is led down a path that could go any number of ways. I’ll admit that my predicted outcome changed several times. I’ll also admit that all of my predicted outcomes where wrong. That ending!!

I would absolutely read any of Agnes Ravatn’s future books.

My thanks to Orenda Books for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.