William Heinesen brings to life a whole host of vivid, larger than life characters from the sectarian preacher, Reinhold Vaag, the drunken, philosophising solicitor Morberg, the well-meaning voyeur Vitus, to the firebrand shopkeeper Landrus and the bizarre teacher Balduin who is intent on reaching spiritual perfection."

'The Good Hope' is the story of one man's battle against a corrupt and dictatorial regime. Playing with both historical language and historical fact, William Heinesen addresses the struggle against evil, sectarianism, superstition and oppression.

Heinesen's novels always contain the portrait of what might be termed a 'good' woman, such as Simona in 'Windswept Dawn' or Eliana in 'The Lost Musicians'. Here, the 'good' woman is Antonia, raised to mythological status as representative of motherhood, the bearer of life as has existed since the dawn of time.