Synopses & Reviews
It is 1939, and the Soviets have invaded Finland. As everyone else in his village flees, burning down their houses in their wake, Timo remains behind. He is unable to imagine life anywhere else, unable to conceive of doing anything else besides felling the trees near his home. As Finnish forces prepare to take on the brunt of the Soviet army and Timo watches on, the citizens of a nation find themselves dragged into conflict and desperate to find a path back home. Filled with unexpected bravery, feats of survival, and the powerful and forbidden friendships forged during war, this is a powerful novel about the struggle to belong.
Review
"A strange, impressively understated novel . . . a daunting, traditional narrative which asserts itself from page one and, like the winter cold, refuses to relax its hold." The Irish Times
Synopsis
Set in Finland in 1939, this is the story of one man who remains in his home town when everyone else has fled, burning down their houses in their wake, before the invading Russians arrive.
Timo remains behind because he can't imagine life anywhere else, doing anything else besides felling the trees near his home. This is a novel about belonging - a tale of powerful and forbidden friendships forged during a war, of unexpected bravery and astonishing survival instincts.
The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles is not a novel about war, but about the lives of ordinary people dragged into war, each of whom only wants to find the path back home.
Roy Jacobsen uses the dramatic natural landscape of light and darkness, fire-blazing heat and life-robbing cold to spectacular effect.
About the Author
Roy Jacobsen is the author of 10 novels and four collections of short stories in his native Norway.