Land of snow and ash, a secret hidden in the Finnish countryside

In 1947, when the war was behind us, Inkeri reached a small town in Finnish Lapland to document the reconstruction of the area with his photos. Officially, he has to put together a report for a newspaper in the capital, but his real objective is another. More personal. That long journey from Helsinki to Enontekiö, in the deep north of the country, actually retraces the traces of her husband of whom she no longer has news: that is the last place where Kaarlo was seen before disappearing.

This is the story of Petra Rautiainen in “Land of Snow and Ash” which will be released by Marsilio on 24 January 2025 on the occasion of Remembrance Day. The author signs her debut novel, published and acclaimed in ten countries.

Many answers to your questions could be found in a diary. Contains the words of a soldier who, called as an interpreter, has recorded the events of the last year of the war e seems to provide a starting point to finally solve the mystery surrounding Kaarlo’s fate, and beyond. But it will be the meeting with one Sami girl and her community to truly open her eyes. Day after day, in that polar landscape of great beauty, the memories of a people who have always inhabited the Arctic lands will bring to light shocking facts, untold stories of oppression and survival.

In a powerful and deeply poetic story, where each of the protagonists carries a secret with them until the end, Inkeri finds himself facing the uncomfortable truths from the pastlooking for a chance to make up for injustices.