Fargo meets Nietzsche in this atmospheric, darkly funny thriller by the critically acclaimed author of The Man Who Died and Palm Beach Finland. A huge Finnish bestseller, Little Siberia topped both literary and crime charts in 2018, and has gone on to sell rights in 24 countries.
A man with dark thoughts on his mind is racing along the remote snowy roads of Hurmevaara in Finland, when there is flash in the sky and something crashes into the car. That something turns about to be a highly valuable meteorite. With euro signs lighting up the eyes of the locals, the unexpected treasure is temporarily placed in a neighbourhood museum, under the watchful eye of a priest named Joel.
But Joel has a lot more on his mind than simply protecting the riches that have apparently rained down from heaven. His wife has just revealed that she is pregnant. Unfortunately, Joel has strong reason to think the baby isn’t his.
As Joel tries to fend off repeated and bungled attempts to steal the meteorite, he must also come to terms with his own situation, and discover who the father of the baby really is.
My Review
Thanks to Anne and everyone at Orenda for organising the tour and for my copy of Little Siberia. I’ve been trying to get one of Antti’s books on the blog for ages.
Joel is the Pastor of a small town in north-eastern Finland, a million Euro meteorite has landed in the passenger seat of a former rally driver, and Krista, Joel’s wife, is pregnant. Joel is unable to have children because he stepped on a mine in Afghanistan, and people keep trying to steal the meteorite.
So Joel has a few things on his mind. Little Siberia charts Joel’s search for answers and serenity.
I really enjoyed this novel, I probably read 90% of it in a morning while I was sick. I was absolutely gripped by the story and enjoyed the characterisation of Joel and his reactions to his adventures and dilemmas. His confusion and final decision with regard to his wife’s pregnancy is poignant, while the job of guarding the meteorite contrasts as a fast moving thriller.
The landscape and culture of the setting comes through very strongly. I’m not sure where else a drunken rally driver would be the town star or the snow would have so much personality.
I highly recommend this book and I’m really glad Orenda publishes translated novels.
AUTHOR BIO
THE KING OF HELSINKI NOIR IS BACK
Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for ‘Best Finnish Crime Novel of 2011’ and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. Two years later, in 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died (2017) became an international bestseller,
shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm Beach Finland (2018) was an immense success, with The Times calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’.
Everything Is Better With Dragons 
Thanks for the blog tour support Rosie xx