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