In a remote part of Iceland, a boy and his
friend Barour join a boat to fish for cod. A
winter storm surprises them out at sea and
Barour, who has forgotten his waterproof as he
was too absorbed in 'Paradise Lost', succumbs to
the ferocious cold and dies. Appalled by the
death and by the fishermen's callous ability to
set about gutting the fatal catch, the boy
leaves the village, intending to return the book
to its owner. The extreme hardship and danger of
the journey is of little consequence to him - he
has already resolved to join his friend in
death. But once in the town he immerses himself
in the stories and lives of its inhabitants, and
decides that he cannot be with his friend just
yet. Set at the turn of the twentieth century,
Heaven and Hell is a perfectly formed, vivid and
timeless story, lyrical in style, and as intense
a reading experience as the forces of the
Icelandic landscape themselves. An outstandingly
moving novel.