Independence

Independence is a story in three parts, named for three passionate women - Aino, Salme and Leena - who struggle to achieve independence, whether from a war, a lover or a domineering father. It's a family story, as well as the story of Finland, a small European nation fighting to be born from the savage civil war of 1918. The author s grandmother Aino was imprisoned aged 19, during the civil war, for the crime of feeding the wrong fighters. Aino s daughter Salme fell in love with an ambitious athlete charismatic, domineering and frankly mad and endured a catastrophic divorce. Their daughter Leena became a teenage Finnish swimming champion but rebelled against a gruelling training regime and ran away from home in search of freedom. It is a story of survival, but also of joy and eventually, forgiveness.