After a scandal destroys her public life, Allis Hagtorn escapes into anonymity and takes work as a housekeeper for Sigurd Bagge, a solitary man in his forties, living by a remote fjord. What she hopes will be a quiet refuge soon becomes something darker.
In the silence of the isolated house, Allis is drawn to her employer in ways she cannot control. Sigurd is secretive, brooding, and impossible to read. Their encounters shift from uneasy distance to a magnetic, unsettling closeness. As fascination turns to obsession, shadows from the past begin to stir, and the secluded home becomes a place where guilt, desire, and fear intertwine.
The Bird Tribunal is a taut and haunting psychological thriller about secrecy, shame, and the dangerous power of attraction. The novel has been sold to 21 countries and earned author Agnes Ravatn a string of prestigious international awards, confirming her position as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary Nordic literature.
An unrelenting atmosphere of doom fails to prepare readers for the surprising resolution.
Publishers Weekly, US
Ravatn creates a creeping sense of unease, elegantly bringing the peace and menace of the setting to vivid life. The isolated house on the fjord is a character-like shadow in this tale of obsessions. This is domestic suspense with a twist – creepy and wonderful.
New Books Magazine, UK
Agnes Ravatn manages to maintain suspense until the very last lines …. Gradually, a Hitchcockian atmosphere settles in, enveloping the narrative and making The Bird Tribunal a true tour de force.
Le Monde des Livres, France
This instinctive fear of the other and the dangers they represent nourishes one of the most beautiful novels released at the beginning of this year. Norwegian author Agnes Ravatn has indeed published The Bird Tribunal, a thrilling and feverish work. It feels like a film by Bergman, with its dark and mysterious beauty.
France Inter
The Bird Tribunal offers an incredible richness of themes … The atonement for the past sins and the titular bird tribunal carry powerful messages, as well as questions of morality and humanity.
Crime Review, UK
A chilling closed-door that is read in one sitting!
Actualitté, France
The whole book is characterised by an uncomfortable and ominous tone and an exquisite writing style. It is dark, thrilling and captivating, as we slowly learn more and more about these two lonely people.
The International Dublin Literary Award nomination statement
Beautiful about two damaged souls living under the same roof.
Adresseavisen
The novel remains with you as an electrical charge under your skin.
Dagsavisen
It quivers with excitement and surplus (…) about two people, who just want to be found and loved.
Natt og Dag
The ending literally pounces on you.
Dagbladet
Crackling, fraught and hugely compulsive slice of Nordic Noir /…/ tremendously impressive.
Big Issue, UK
A tense and riveting read.
Financial Times, UK
A book that envelops you, bewitches you. … An intense closed-door setting, where unspoken words and tensions guide us until the last page.
La Voix du Nord, France
Unfolds in an austere style that perfectly captures the bleakly beautiful landscape of Norway’s far north.
Irish Times, Ireland
Masterful! … An effective narrative that doesn’t overlook the troubled psyche of the characters, an ability to convey to the reader the underlying tension that binds the protagonists, not to mention the art of making you shiver, both literally and figuratively, in beautiful yet chilly places.
Benzine Magazine, France
Agnes Ravatn only needs a few lines to establish a strange atmosphere. The open-air closed-door she masterfully orchestrates fulfills all its promises throughout the chapters. … The Bird Tribunal is a tour de force that combines literature, theater, and cinema, not to be missed.
Les Èchos, France
Agnes Ravatn demonstrates real expertise in the obsessive portrayal of two individuals trapped in a face-to-face confrontation with an inevitably regrettable outcome.
L'Obs, France
A true promise of a sleepless night. Agnes Ravatn cleverly plays with the strange, in a vein reminiscent of gothic literature, intertwined with legends. A claustrophobic setting in an oppressive chiaroscuro that oscillates between a dark forest and a luminous fjord. … A powerful tension underlies this narrative filled with nightmares and lies.”
Sud Ouest, France
