True

Translated from the original Finnish by Lola Rogers

2014 Longlist

Elsa, a well-known child psychologist, is dying of cancer and has arranged to be at home during her last months. Her granddaughter Anna is caring for Elsa and one day discovers a mysterious old dress in a closet. It belonged to a young woman, Eeva, who had worked for the family as a nanny decades before but whom they hadn’t spoken about in many years. Anna slowly pieces together Eeva’s story, including her long affair with Anna’s grandfather, and a family cover-up comes to light. In imagining Eeva’s life, Anna begins to understand the tragedies of her own.

True is a psychological drama that explores the nature of truth, lies, memory, and how stories have the ability to bend and change with time. Riikka Pulkkinen, a young Finnish literary talent, depicts the bonds and traumatic schisms of three generations with virtuosic prose and storytelling skill.

(From Publisher)

About the Author

Riika Pulkkinen studied literature and philosophy at the University of Helsinki. She has received the Kaarle Prize and the Laila Hirvisaari Prize. True is her English-language debut.

Librarian’s Comments

A griping and dramatic story of three generations . Masterfully pictured Finnish landscape and light in the background.