Fishing for the Little Pike (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
This translated work from Finnish author, Juhani Karila, is a bit of everything—murder mystery, fantasy, magic realism and adventure all wrapped up in a love letter to rural Finland. It reads like Northern Exposure set in Lapland, with lovable but odd characters and some Finnish mythical creatures thrown in.
The main character Elina, is cursed to return to her childhood home every year to catch a pike. If she doesn't she dies. Following her home is a detective, investigating Elina in a murder. From here a comical and weird adventure ensues. The cast of characters are eccentric, human and mythical. I love a novel that gives you a real feel for the place where it takes place. The natural setting was immersive—deep in the northern bogs, the mosquitos buzzed off the pages. I really felt like a got a feel for small village life in rural Finland. Funny and also a thoughtful look at family and what we carry with us, this was a delightful read!
—Rachel
— From Staff Favorites ListDescription
In the utterly original, genre-defying, English-language debut of Finnish author Juhani Karila, a young woman's annual pilgrimage to her home in Lapland to catch an elusive pike in three days is complicated by a host of mythical creatures, a murder detective hot on her trail, and a deadly curse hanging over her head.
When Elina makes her annual summer pilgrimage to her remote family farm in Lapland, she has three days to catch the pike in a local pond or she and the love of her life will both die. This year her task is made more difficult by the intervention of a host of deadly supernatural creatures and a murder detective on her tail.
Can Elina catch the pike and put to rest the curse that has been hanging over her head since a youthful love affair turned sour? Can Sergeant Janatuinen make it back to civilization in one piece? And just why is Lapland in summer so weird?
Fishing for the Little Pike is an audacious, genre-defying blend of fantasy, folk tale, and nature writing.