{"title":"Pirkko Saisio","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePirkko Saisio\u003c\/strong\u003e crafts novels that blend emotional depth with sharp observations on human relationships and identity. Her works, including titles like \u003cem\u003eBacklight\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Red Book of Farewells\u003c\/em\u003e, invite readers into intimate and thought-provoking narratives that explore the nuances of connection and self-discovery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRooted in \u003cem\u003eGeneral Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e, Saisio’s storytelling is both poignant and reflective, often challenging conventional perspectives. Her writing is marked by a keen sensitivity to the complexities of life, making her books a compelling choice for readers seeking richly layered literary experiences.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"lowest-common-denominator-by-pirkko-saisio-9780241730096","title":"Lowest Common Denominator","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA riveting, funny coming-of-age story - the first volume in Pirkko Saisio's award-winning Helsinki trilogy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrandpa says everyone should leave me alone. If I want to be a boy, then I'm a boy - simple as that.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWriting in the wake of her father's death, the narrator of Pirkko Saisio's autofictional novel transports us to the 1950s Finland of her youth, where she navigates life as an only child of communist parents. Convinced she will grow up to become a man, a young Pirkko keeps trying and failing to meet the expectations of the adults around her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith wit and style, Saisio captures the heart-wrenching intensity of childhood feeling, merging fever dreams with sensory-laden memories as each formative experience - with the Big Bad Wolf, a bikini-clad circus announcer, and Jesus Christ himself - drives her further and further from her family and others. Struggling to understand her place in the world around her, it's in language that she discovers a refuge and a way to be seen at last.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn unforgettable story of transformation, \u003cem\u003eLowest Common Denominator\u003c\/em\u003e is the first volume in a trilogy that has been celebrated in Finland as the best work of the century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Gardners Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46546743984364,"sku":"9780241730096","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241730096.jpg?v=1750037078"},{"product_id":"backlight-by-pirkko-saisio-9780241730072","title":"Backlight","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA riveting, funny coming-of-age story — the second volume in Pirkko Saisio's award-winning Helsinki trilogy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTeenaged Pirkko can't decide which she hates most — God, her communist father, or her growing breasts. Grandpa has moved into the room long promised to her, and Mother, overworked and distant, tries to keep the peace between her headstrong daughter and husband.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt's 1960s Finland and Pirkko has fun getting into trouble. That is, until her teacher suggests she might have what it takes to be a real writer. Then the historic summer of 1968 arrives, which Pirkko spends working at a Swiss orphanage where no one understands her and, as much as her family drive her mad, she's homesick for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs the world shifts and swirls around her, Pirkko must make sense of it all — including her own sexual identity. A funny, unique coming-of-age story and an intimate portrait of a life lived in language, \u003cem\u003eBacklight\u003c\/em\u003e is the second volume in Pirkko Saisio's award-winning Helsinki trilogy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTranslated from Finnish by Mia Spangenberg.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47288369119468,"sku":"9780241730072","price":35.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/0e23e858a9b6d2e55eea9d5775c843e7.jpg?v=1770633552"},{"product_id":"the-red-book-of-farewells-by-pirkko-saisio-9780241730119","title":"The Red Book of Farewells","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA riveting, witty novel about revolutionary love and motherhood: the final volume in Pirkko Saisio's award-winning Helsinki trilogy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'This is where she would like to belong, here in the kingdom of women, where words are sharp but gazes are soft.'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1970s Helsinki, a revolutionary storm is blowing through Pirkko Saisio's university. She has moved out of her family home, joined a communist theatre, and fallen in love for the first time. Her newly shaved head looks unmistakably modern, and Bertold Brecht lives on her windowsill to profess God-like words of wisdom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePlayful, moving, and original, this autofictional coming-of-age story embeds the reader in a world where art and activism are irrevocably intertwined, and where queer love, still a crime, thrives in underground bars.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn her mesmerizing account of radical politics and sexual awakening, Pirkko Saisio offers a series of farewells, to her mother, to the idealism of youth, to friends and lovers, and finally to her grown daughter. The grand finale of the award-winning Helsinki trilogy, \u003cem\u003eThe Red Book of Farewells\u003c\/em\u003e embraces the revolutionary potential of moving on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48299540578540,"sku":"9780241730119","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241730119-the-red-book-of-farewells-1.jpg?v=1788379098"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/pirkko-saisio.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}