About the book: 2021 / Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren stands on a cliff falling into the sea and looks at the stormy sea. Forty fishermen, including her father and brother, drowned in the salt water, leaving the island of Vardø without men. Three years later, Absalom Cornet, a witch hunter who burned women at the stake in the northern islands, arrives here from Scotland. His young wife is with him. And while Ursa never tires of admiring the independence and strength of Maren and her friends, Absalom is only more convinced that this place is mired in sin, and therefore must disappear. An epic novel about female strength and the indomitable elements of the harsh northern nature. “Inspired by the real-life devastating storm that struck Vardo in 1617, this story follows widows who become victims of a witch hunt on a small Norwegian island.” – The Guardian