Hannah Kent
Picador Australia
29 April 2025
306
Paperback
Memoir
ARC from Publisher
In a land of ethereal beauty, within a culture soaked in myth, a young woman discovers the story that will change her life.
In 2003, seventeen-year-old Australian exchange student Hannah Kent arrives at Keflavík Airport in the middle of the Icelandic winter.
That night she sleeps off her jet lag and bewilderment in the National Archives of Iceland, unaware that, years later, she will return to the same building to write Burial Rites, the haunting story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman executed in Iceland. The novel will go on to launch the author's stellar literary career and capture the hearts of readers across the globe.
Always Home, Always Homesick is Hannah Kent's exquisite love letter to a land that has forged a nation of storytellers, her ode to the transcendent power of creativity, and her invitation to us all to join her in the realms of mystery, spirit and wonder.
I am not a big reader of memoirs; however, I have read and enjoyed all of Hannah Kent's books, especially Burial Rites, so I thought it might be interesting to get more insight into her journey. Always Home, Always Homesick was an informative and enjoyable read. I hadn't realised how young Hannah was when she first went to Iceland, so hearing about her life-shaping experiences there was fascinating. As a language-learner myself, it was also interesting to hear about her trials on that front. For those who enjoyed Burial Rites this memoir offers wonderful insight into how that book came into being, from first inspiration to all the research Hannah went back to do years later. Even if you have not read Hannah's works, this book still offers fun insight into an author's creative process, tied into her personal development and growth. I am giving it four stars.
I received this book as a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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