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The Snake Pit is not so eventful as The Axe, the series' first installment, but it is in a way more emotional and tragic, dealing with Olav's and Ingunn's life together at Hestviken, trying to live the peaceful, happy life they have always dreamed of but constantly encountering disappointment. Ingunn's son from the previous book, Eirik, becomes a character in his own right, a strange and unique boy who gives a slightly skewed but still valuable and moving view of his parents and their lives together. Another major plot element is Olav's lingering guilt over his crime at the end of the previous book, and his desire to atone for it, as well as struggle to allow himself to. I would prefer to read this book translated by someone like Tiina Nunnally, rather than Arthur Chater, whose translations I usually enjoy. The intentional medieval-esque phrasings start to get a little old, especially after one has had a taste of Sigrid Undset's actual writing style (see Nunnally's clear, refreshing translation of Kristin Lavransdatter), but as always Undset is a good enough writer to overcome such limitations as bad translation.
