Summary of A Day in Ostrobothnia
“A Day in Ostrobothnia” follows the Finnish Hakala family, as narrated by Erkki, the youngest of four sons. The Hakalas are a violent family, and when a machine gun is discovered, tensions spiral out of control. The novel combines family drama with broader reflections on the history and culture of Ostrobothnia, a farming region in western Finland.
Reasons to read A Day in Ostrobothnia
A Day in Ostrobothnia” is the first in a series of six novels by the renowned Finnish author Antti Tuuri, all set in the region of Ostrobothnia. The novel portrays the harshness of life in the area, partly caused by poverty, emigration, and a legacy of violence, while also drawing on collective memories of the Winter War (1939-40) and the Continuation War (1941-44) against the Soviet Union. Antti Tuuri won the prestigious Nordic Council’s Literature Prize in 1985 for this novel (adapted into the Finnish film “Pohjanmaa” in 1988), and later the Finlandia Prize in 1997 for his novel “Lakeuden Kutsu”, the final book in the series (which has not yet been translated into English).
Setting: Ostrobothnia (Finland)
Book set in Finland: southern Ostrobothnia. Kauhava – Antti Tuuri’s birthplace and a filming location for the movie adaptation – may be a likely setting for “A Day in Ostrobothnia”.
Original title: Pohjanmaa
Year of publication: 1982
Nr of pages: 226
