The Bell in the Lake: A Novel

An internationally bestselling epic of faith, myth, and passion set against the harsh beauty of late 19th-century Norway.

For generations, the remote village of Butangen has lived under the shadow of its 700-year-old stave church and two legendary bells, cast in memory of conjoined twins Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne. The bells ring on their own in times of impending disaster-a dark warning that has governed local life for centuries.

In 1879, two outsiders arrive to disrupt Butangen's fragile quiet:

• Kai Schweigaard, a young, reform-minded pastor who arranges to sell the ancient church to a museum in Dresden to build a modern sanctuary for his congregation.
• Gerhard Schönauer, a sophisticated German architect tasked with dismantling the structure piece by piece for transport across the fjord.

Caught between them is Astrid Hekne, a fierce young woman who dreams of a life beyond the village's rigid traditions. As Gerhard uncovers the church's hidden pagan carvings and Astrid fights to preserve her family's heritage, a bitter confrontation ignites between progress and ancient belief-setting off a chain of events that will echo through generations.

Praise for Lars Mytting:

"A beautiful evocation of a place and a culture, a melding of old Norse tradition with the encroaching modern world." - Booklist