Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Mar 2012
368 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Elsa is dying. Her husband, Martti, and daughter Eleonoora are struggling to accept the crushing thought that they are soon to lose her. As Elsa becomes ever more fragile, Eleonoora's childhood memories are slipping away. Meanwhile, Eleonoora's daughter Anna spends her time pondering the fates of passersby. For her the world is full of stories. But the story that will change her forever is the one about Eeva, her mother's nanny, whom her grandparents have been silent about for years. Eeva's forgotten story, which Anna first learns of when she discovers an old dress of Eeva's, is finally revealed layer by layer. The tale that unfolds is about a mother and daughter, about how memory can deceive us - and sometimes that is the most merciful thing that can happen.
"Starred Review. The emotional intelligence of the prose avoids melodrama
to develop authentic poignancy." - Kirkus
"Pulkkinen has a fine eye for description and infuses her characters with longing, but the story is familiar: desire for a different life than the one we’ve chosen. An eloquent family saga that falls short of revelation." - Publishers Weekly
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Riikka Pulkkinen studied literature and philosophy at the University of Helsinki. Her debut novel, The Border, sparked international interest when it was published in 2006. Her second novel, True, will mark her English debut. Riikka Pulkkinen received the Kaarle Prize in February 2007 and the Laila Hirvisaari Prize in May 2007.
Lola M. Rogers is a freelance translator of Finnish literature living in Seattle. Her published translations include selected poems of Eeva Liisa Manner in the anthology Female Voices of the North, published by Praesens of Vienna; the graphic novel The Sands of Sarasvati, based on Risto Isomäki’s novel of the same name, translated with Owen Witesman for Tammi of Helsinki; and Purge by Sofi Oksanen, for Grove/Atlantic.
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