The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn- Blog Tour Review.

About the Book

TV presenter Allis Hagtorn leaves her partner and her job to take voluntary exile in a 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

My Review

The Bird Tribunal is a beautifully written novel that concerns Allis a former reporter who goes into hiding after a very public embarrassing incident and the man who she goes to work for.
The level of claustrophobia builds rapidly. The house where they live is very isolated and for the majority of the novel they are the only two characters. The only other character of any significance is a hostile shopkeeper who gives the impression of knowing more about the pair of them without revealing exactly what.
The blurb states that the book is all about an obsessive relationship and my feeling the further I read that three of the characters were equally obsessed with each other. But Allis is also aware and wary that she never really knows what Sigurd is up to. Birds play a part, Allis’s care of them but there are also more sinister events concerning them. Norse Mythology is also discussed, something that I know nothing about but found fascinating.
For much of the novel nothing appears to happen but it is all written in preparation for the finale when the truth is finally revealed in a shocking but poetic way.
A slightly different novel for me, it is a slow building novel but being short it works well. Therefore, it is another book published by Orenda that I would not  hesitate to recommend.

With thanks to Karen Sullivan for the copy received and the opportunity to participate in the blog tour.