BOOK NOOK; The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea

 "She must not weep; the tears will freeze, and if she brushes them away, the ice will flay the flesh from her face."

I have just finished reading The Glass Woman which is an Icelandic saga. It is a Gothic romance, with lots of secrets and lies, mysteries and puzzles to unravel.  It follows the main protagonist, Rosa, who meets a stranger in her home town and agrees to marry him. She is captivated by him, even though there are rumours that he is a dangerous and violent man, following the sudden disappearance and death of his first wife.  But he is wealthy and of good standing in another village, and Rosa and her mother are in need of food, warmth and security since Rosa's father passed away. So when he proposes, she accepts and moves with him to his croft, leaving behind her mother and all that she knows. 

In her marriage of convenience however, Rosa begins to suspect that the rumours about her husband are true.  Once he has ensconced her in his croft, he turns off the charm and becomes extremely controlling and harsh.  He expects Rosa to cook and clean all day, while he goes out fishing, or surveying his lands and livestock. Left alone in the croft, Rosa begins to hear strange noises from the loft and convinces herself that she is being haunted by her husband's first wife.Whispers of witchcraft spread around the village, as the locals spread their mistrust of Rosa through their gossip, and witchcraft means death by burning. 

This character driven novel is dark and disturbing, with subtle echoes of both Jane Eyre and Rebecca. It also reminded me somewhat of the Bluebeard fairytale. I wouldn't describe it as a happy novel, although the ending is satisfactory, but it deals with themes of child abuse and rape, isolation, exile, controlling behaviour and so on.  It is quite a slow burn. It's not a book that had me eager to turn the pages - rather it made me quite fearful of what I was about to read next! Nevertheless it was a very engaging story and I liked the main characters, Rosa and her childhood friend Pall. 

Being set in Iceland in midwinter, this is a very snowy book, so it is a good winter read. There are lots of Icelandic words used within the novel, but there is also a full Glossary at the back of the book, so you get to learn snippets of a new language as you read, which is an added educational bonus.  All in all, I did enjoy The Glass Woman, but it isn't a favourite. I would have preferred it to have more ghostly activity and less general misery! However, it was still a pleasant way to spend a cold winter's day.  Happy Reading!

BB Marie x