“Ongoing wars or armed conflicts in the European Union: thirteen, mostly in border areas. Estimated number of climate refugees planet-wide: 650-800 million people. Pandemic warnings: H3N3, malaria, tuberculosis, Ebola, plague. Light piece at the end: the recently chosen Miss Finland believed that everything would be much better in the spring.”
The Healer
By Antti Tuomainen
Rain has been continuously falling in Finland for months and neighborhoods are damaged or deserted with people moving further up north in hope of some normalcy, or at least somewhat better conditions. There is looting, civil unrest but there is also life going on. Security businesses are on the rise, the media is still focused on bringing the news and people still have to make a living.
It’s in this world that Tapani Lehtinen, a struggling poet, lives. As if this wasn’t already hard to endure his wife is now missing. As a newspaper journalist she’s been on the trail of a politically motivated killer, known as The Healer. Did she perhaps get too close?
Tapani goes through the streets of Helsinki in search of his wife. He meets with friends and co-workers to get a picture of the last whereabouts of his wife, every time finding out a bit more not just about his wife’s work but of her life before him.
For a book about a serial killer it was interesting that I found the chaos of this dystopian future much more chilling than the Healer. Often times in dystopian novels, which I do enjoy quite a bit, are so out there in the future that it’s easy to think well that’s not going to happen now but this novel made everything feel more imminent and real that is frightening.
So as a mystery the novel didn’t live up to my expectations but the atmosphere was superb. I felt Tapani’s desperation in finding his wife and the city’s desperation of society as we know it coming to an end.
Source: Library copy
I found myself nodding my head at your last paragraph…I was thinking that the plot sounded a bit off, but I’d love to find myself wandering around Finland.
Too bad the plot wasn’t as good as the setting. Still sounds like it was an enjoyable read though.
The atmosphere does sound great, even if the mystery lacked. I do enjoy good dystopian novels, especially if they are written in a way that would seem real.
Sandy – Finland would be wonderful to explore although not in this apocalypse – haha…
Stefanie – It was and I wouldn’t mind reading another of this author’s books. It had a sort of dreamy quality about it too. I forgot to mention that!
Bookworm – I know right, then I think they are even more scary!
Sounds interesting, and I love good atmosphere. Sorry the plot didn’t live up to expectations.
Sounds like it would be right up my alley, since I’m not big on mysteries but I do love a good dystopian setting.