Fishing for the Little Pike
In the utterly original, genre-defying, English-language debut of Finnish author Juhani Karila, a young woman's annual pilgrimage to her home in Lapland to catch an elusive pike in three days is complicated by a host of mythical creatures, a murder detective hot on her trail, and a deadly curse hanging over her head.
When Elina makes her annual summer pilgrimage to her remote family farm in Lapland, she has three days to catch the pike in a local pond or she and the love of her life will both die. This year her task is made more difficult by the intervention of a host of deadly supernatural creatures and a murder detective on her tail.
Can Elina catch the pike and put to rest the curse that has been hanging over her head since a youthful love affair turned sour? Can Sergeant Janatuinen make it back to civilization in one piece? And just why is Lapland in summer so weird?
Fishing for the Little Pike is an audacious, genre-defying blend of fantasy, folk tale, and nature writing.
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Community Reviews
As an American married to a Finn—and having lived in Finland for several years, including in Eastern Lapland—I have a deep appreciation for the wonderfully weird nuances of Finnish humor. Juhani Karila nails it. The book is absurd and hilarious in that uniquely Finnish way: dry, matter-of-fact, and completely unbothered by its own strangeness. At the same time, it’s rich with folklore, sisu, and an almost reverent respect for nature that is so intrinsic to Finnish life.
The blend of magical realism and detective story works brilliantly, but the real magic is in Karila’s ability to make the fantastical feel mundane and the mundane feel fantastical. The supernatural beings, the villagers, the relentless cycle of fate—it all feels deeply rooted in something ancient, something that anyone who has spent time in Lapland can almost believe exists just beyond the tree line.
If you’ve ever experienced the eerie stillness of a Finnish forest, or if you understand the deep pull of the wilderness, this book will resonate. If you’re unfamiliar with Finnish storytelling, prepare for something refreshingly different—something that doesn't handhold or explain, but rather immerses you in a world that simply is.
A weird, wonderful, and utterly unique novel. Highly recommended.
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