Fiction

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Lowest Common Denominator

Lowest Common Denominator

Following her father’s death, a middle-aged writer named Pirkko revisits her childhood in 1950s Finland, piecing together memories of family life, political convictions and the first stirrings of her identity. Growing up as the only child of communist parents in Helsinki, young Pirkko struggles to understand the expectations placed upon her. Her mother is lively and theatrical, while her father is emotionally distant and committed to his political ideals. During summers spent with her grandparents in the countryside, Pirkko discovers a world of freedom, imagination and unexpected revelations. Convinced that she will grow up to be a boy, she grapples with the distance between her inner sense of self and the roles others expect her to inhabit. Told through fragmented memories, fever dreams and moments of startling humour, the novel blurs the boundaries between autobiography and fiction. Ultimately, Pirkko discovers that language and storytelling can offer a refuge, allowing her to express an identity that the world around her struggles to recognise.

The Summer Book

The Summer Book

The Summer Book follows Sophia, a young girl, and her grandmother as they spend the summer together on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland. Living in a simple cottage surrounded by rocks, forests, and the sea, they fill their days with conversations, explorations, small adventures, and moments of quiet reflection. Sophia is curious and sometimes stubborn, while her grandmother is wise, playful, and increasingly aware of her own mortality. Their relationship unfolds through a series of loosely connected episodes that capture the rhythms of island life. Through their exchanges, Tove Jansson explores childhood, ageing, grief, freedom, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. The island becomes a place where ordinary experiences reveal deeper truths about life, while the changing sea and weather mirror the characters’ shifting emotions. Gentle, humorous, and contemplative, the novel celebrates the beauty of everyday moments and the bonds that connect generations. Beneath its simplicity lies a profound meditation on impermanence, solitude, and the comfort of being close to nature.