Books from Finland - A literary journal of writing from and about Finland.

Brev till världens ände
[Letter to the ends of the earth]
Helsingfors: Söderströms, 2008, 184 p. .
ISBN 978-951-52-2566-5
€ 18, paperback

Kirje maan ääriin
Helsinki: Teos, 2008, 197 p.
Suomentanut [Translated into Finnish by] Tarja Teva
ISBN 978-951-851-180-2
€ 21, paperback

This story involves the identity crisis of two boys, a discussion of the human ecological footprint and the growing loss of a relationship with nature. Viktor and Jeppe have been friends since childhood until the mysterious Maira upsets the boys’ relationship. Annika Luther (born 1958) is not content to write a traditional triangle drama – instead she seasons it with Viktor’s betrayal, an act committed in a fit of jealousy that has unforeseeable consequences. The novel’s power lies in its ever-increasing tension, as the trust between the boys breaks down. The plotline is occasionally unconvincing, but at the heart of the novel is the fickle human mind, stripped of all its trappings. The book received the 2008 Topelius Prize.