Vardø: The Island of Women

Considered by The New York Times one of the hundred most notable books of 2020.

Christmas Eve, 1617. The sea around the remote Norwegian island of Vardø is overtaken by a massive storm. Young Maren watches as the island's men, who have gone out to fish, perish in a matter of seconds. For the women left behind, survival means enduring the harsh island routine. They fish, hunt, and butcher reindeer—something they had never done while the men were alive. But the foundation of this new women's society begins to unravel with the arrival, three years later, of Absalom Cornet, a sinister man sent from Scotland to eradicate alleged witchcraft practices. Cornet brings with him the threat of danger, but he is accompanied by his beautiful young Norwegian wife, Ursa.

In her new home and in Maren, Ursa encounters something she's never seen before: independent women. However, in this place where Ursa finds happiness and even love, Absalom sees only an environment dominated by a terrible evil, which he must eradicate at any cost.

Inspired by the real events of the Storm of Vardø and the witch trials of 1621, this is a story of love, evil and obsession.

For fans of The Handmaid's Tale , Miniaturist , Farewell Rites , and Circe , Vardø: The Island of Women shows us how suspicion can infiltrate a community and how intense love can prove extremely dangerous.

"Historical romance fans looking for a Handmaid's Tale -style twist will love Vardø, the Island of Women. A story of danger, love, and power." - Cosmopolitan

"A compelling account of women finding power, beauty, and love even in the most harrowing circumstances." - USA Today

"This chilling tale of religious persecution is served with a taste of feminism." Kirkus Reviews

"A moving story of women who have only independence as an alternative and who end up being persecuted for the “choice” they made." - Booklist