Book fall is already in full swing. Literary editor Miia Gustafsson picked a few turps from the rich offer that are worth checking out. At the end of the story, you can also share your own tips.
Tommi Kinnunen: Dark Moons (WSOY)
_Pimeät kuut_, which will be published at the beginning of September, is Kinnusen’s fifth novel.
The latest novel is set in the late 1940s, in the post-war era, and tells the story of a teacher at a remote village school. The huge workload of a small school is exhausting for the teacher. The topic is familiar to Kinnuse, as he is also a teacher himself and has publicly talked about his work burnout.
Once again, Kinnunen writes from the perspective of women, which he is very skilled at. Kinnus has the ability to soulfully describe the thoughts and feelings of his characters.
No less than three of Kinnusen’s previous novels have been nominated for the Finlandia Prize.
Riikka Pulkkinen: Lumo (Otava)
Kari Hotakainen: Apprentice (Siltala)
The anniversary novel is a dark cannonball in the Hotakais style. The main character Maria is bitter and disappointed in her life. He takes massive revenge because he wants to settle accounts with his past and start afresh, with a clean slate. Exaggerations are not avoided either, because Maria is driven by a strong mission. The text is a reflection on the abundant, middle-class lifestyle, the consequences of which we are already suffering.
Kari Hotakainen won the Finlandia Prize and the Nordic Council Literature Prize with her novel _Juuksuhaudantie_, which was published in 2003.
Hanya Yanagihara: To Paradise (Oak)
Yanagihara’s latest translation is also more than 900 pages long. The novel seems like a cornucopia, because it covers three centuries. The work is a cross-section of American society, and it also offers alternative developments.
Salla Simukka: This is where it all starts (January)
Now it’s time for a new territorial conquest, because _This is where it all starts_ is Simuka’s first novel aimed at adults. It tells about the end of a relationship, but the story is also mixed with old horror stories. The distorted reality takes the protagonist deep into the past. The short novel is a mixture of horror and interpersonal prose.
Simukka, who lives in Tampere, has written or co-authored about 20 books. In addition, he has translated several works into Finnish.
Hanna Brotherus: For My Life (WSOY)
_For My Life_ seems to continue in the same style. It tells the story of a mother of four children who has made an artistic career. As in the firstborn, this one also deals with physicality and aging.
Annie Ernaux: About Father/Mother (Gummerus)
The book is autobiographical and tells about the author’s relationship with his parents. It was difficult for the father to digest his daughter’s rise to the country’s civilization. The relationship with the mother, on the other hand, was close and difficult. After her mother passed away from Alzheimer’s disease, the author tries to create a complete picture of her mother.
The autobiographical _Vuodet_, published in Finnish last year, captivated with its perceptive depiction of society.
Riitta Jalonen: My photos (Oak)
_Omat ivat_ tells about the necessity of writing and explores the creation of stories.
In the novel, the author looks back on his life in glimpses and, above all, reflects on which aspects have influenced his works. The book covers many familiar characters from Jalonen’s previous works.
Jalonen has also written several children’s books, of which _Tyttö ja naakkapuu_ has been awarded at Junior-Finlandia.
Ulla-Lena Lundberg: The Flame Bearers (Work)
The focus of the book is folk school, education and culture. However, the story is told through three couples over three generations. The time period extends from the 19th century, from the Vaasa fire, to the beginning of the 20th century and the civil war.
75-year-old Ulla-Lena Lundberg has had a long career and published countless novels and travelogues.
Eeva Turunen: Civilized and pleasant person (Siltala)
Eeva Turunen won the Helsingin Sanomat first novel award with her previous novel _Neiti U recalls her so-called interpersonal history_.
The first novel was very original and stylistically experimental. That’s why you can expect a lot from the novel that will be published in September.
Turunen is also an architect by profession, and in the new book the narrator is, surprise surprise, an architect. No autofiction is known, because Turunen’s text probably gallops in its own sphere.
Richard Powers: Astonishment (Gummerus)
_What books are you going to read? Tell other readers your favorites in the discussion section below the story. The discussion is open until Sunday at 11 pm. Participation requires a General ID._