Author(s): Roy Jacobsen

MBIP 2017

Barr y Island off the North-western coast of Norway - a holdfast for a single family, their livestock, their crops, their hopes and dreams. And their fears. There is a taint passed down the Barr y line, and Hans and Maria Barr y fear their daughter Ingrid may be affected. The early years of the twentieth century prove that Norway cannot stand apart from the wider world - no more than Barr y island can remain at a remove from the rest of Norway. Hans Barr y decides to build a quay so that his family can be properly connected to the mainland and with neighbouring islands. In time, Ingrid is sent to serve with one of the rich families on the coast, caring for their two children. But when tragedy strikes - twice in quick succession - she finds herself responsible not only for two newly orphaned children, but for Barr y Island itself. If they are to survive, she and the other young must learn how to tame this remote earthly paradise for themselves.