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A poignant Finnish-Lappish family novel about four generations in a house at a lonely crossroads. A story about strong women, secrets, love, war and the harsh nature that shapes destinies throughout almost the entire 20th century.
At the Crossroads (2014) is the debut novel by Finnish writer **Tommi Kinnunen, published in Croatian in an excellent translation by Boris Vidović.
The novel follows almost a hundred years of the life of a house and its inhabitants at a lonely crossroads of four roads far in the north of Finland, in a landscape of harsh nature and harsh climate. The story is told through four main voices – four generations of the same family. It begins with Marija, an independent and determined midwife at the end of the 19th century, and continues through the lives of her daughter Lahja, granddaughter Kaarina and beyond.
Kinnunen masterfully depicts the destinies of strong but vulnerable women who struggle against social norms, religious fundamentalism, prejudice, war and personal tragedies. The house at the crossroads becomes a symbol of life on the edge – a place of encounters, secrets, love, betrayal and reconciliation.
The novel is rich in emotional depth, a subtle depiction of Finnish society throughout the 20th century (from poverty and war to modernization) and an exceptionally poetic language. Kinnunen writes precisely, melancholy and with great empathy for the characters, without unnecessary sentimentality.
One of the most successful Finnish debuts in recent decades, translated into more than 20 languages. In Croatia it received excellent reviews as a strong, moving and atmospheric family novel that stays with the reader long after the book is closed. Ideal for fans of Northern European literature (Knausgård, Tove Ditlevsen, Roy Jacobsen).
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