White Hunger

What does it take to survive? This is the question posed by the extraordinary Finnish novella that has taken the Nordic literary scene by storm.1867: a year of devastating famine in Finland. Marja, a farmer''s wife from the north, sets off on foot through the snow with her two young children. Their goal: St Petersburg, where people say there is bread. Others are also heading south, just as desperate to survive. Ruuni, a boy she meets, seems trustworthy. But can anyone really help?Why Peirene chose to publish this book: ''Like Cormac McCarthy''sThe Road, this apocalyptic story deals with the human will to survive. And let me be honest: There will come a point in this book where you can take no more of the snow-covered desolation. But then the first rays of spring sun appear and our belief in the human spirit revives. A stunning tale.''Meike Ziervogel''White Hungeris Aki Ollikainen''s debut work, but it is written with the control of someone who has mastered the form.''Nicholas Lezard,Guardian''Such a powerful, honest and thought-provoking story deserves an audience far beyond the shores of Scandinavia.''Pam Norfolk,Lancashire Evening Post''Impossible not to respond to its raw, unsparing drama.''Elizabeth Bucan,Daily Mail''A tale of epic substance compacted into a mere seven-score pages.''Ben Paynter,Los Angeles Review of Books