In Butangen in 1880, ancient stories still wield great power. Christianity and local superstition rub shoulders at the village's 12th-century wooden stave church. Along with a crucifixion scene and a tapestry of the Day of Judgment, the church features carvings of Norse myths and imaginary creatures. In the tower are two commemorative bells cast to remember Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne, conjoined twin sisters and local weavers who died on the same day.

In both outline and many of its details The Bell in the Lake is simple and even sappy, but Mytting's saving grace is his willingness to be Nordicly unsentimental.Which of the main characters do you relate to most, if any of them? Which of their attributes and behaviors, if any, do you see in yourself? Via de bisschop zorgt hij ervoor dat Gerhard Schönauer, kunststudent en aspirerend architect, vanuit Dresden komt om de oude staafkerk vast te leggen voordat moderniteit zijn intrede doet. Gerhard is romantischer, een begenadigd tekenaar die open staat voor de zeggingskracht van de Noorse cultuur en de schoonheid van de staafkerk. En waar hij ook open voor staat is Astrid, die naast zijn artistieke talent ook zijn karakter ( “...dat een gedachte die eenmaal bij hem opgekomen was niet verflauwde door gezond verstand maar levend bleef”) leert te waarderen gedurende de zomer. The concluding one is by far the shortest, itself divided only into three chapters and zipping rapidly along.

Het boek laat je nadenken over durf hebben en de voorbijgaande aard van geluk. Daarnaast vond ik de harde, aan de seizoenen gebonden maar snel moderniserende wereld van Butangen zeer goed weergegeven; op mij kwam het over alsof Mytting veel onderzoek gedaan heeft. De romance(s) waren wat minder sterk, vooral omdat het best lang duurde voordat ik als lezer een beeld had van Gerhard. En historische fictie wordt zeker niet mijn favoriete genre, ik vond het tempo vrij laag ondanks de korte hoofdstukken. Maar al met al verraste de Zusterklokken me positief en rond ik de 3,5 sterren die ik dit boek zou willen geven overtuigd naar boven af.

November Book Selections

How do the social norms and etiquette of the times influence the characters and their decisions? How are norms upheld, and how are they subverted?

Astrid is the eldest girl, and does her duty in the family -- everyone has to pitch in for them to survive -- but she seems to be the only one that has inherited the once proud wild streak in the family. I don't think this author has any flaws. His characters are fully developed and fulfill their imaginative roles without being false at any time. His setting is rich with details and knowledge of the community he comes from. And his expertise in the history of Norwegian craft and woodwork comes through in this plot and novel. I loved reading about stave churches and their place in the lives of the Norwegian communities, and their mixing of pagan and Christian rituals. In Butangen, he finds himself attracted to the smart and curious Astrid, who is employed in the household when he gets there (but then let go when the head housekeeper judges master and servant are getting too close). The Bell in the Lake begins with a short chapter recounting the origin of a pair of bells -- the 'Sister Bells' (so also the Norwegian title of the novel) -- that ring for centuries in a church deep in rural Norway, in Butangen. What is the role and impact of modernity in the novel? Do you believe it challenges the characters in a good or bad way?It turns out also that the men very much had their eyes on the storied bells -- and Astrid's clever plan is undone in a (soon much regretted) moment of pique. Central to the story is Astrid Hekne, a girl in her 20s who comes from the same family as the Siamese twins born all those year ago. She can, just about, live with the destruction of the church – but she cannot contemplate the removal of the bells to a new city many, many miles away. She has an embryonic relationship with Kai, and an actual relationship with Gerhard. She plots for the bells to stay in Butangen. But the story does not end well. The bargain is a decent and practical one, switching out the old bells for the newer ones which the church had obtained to take their place.