Status
Available
Publication
Grove Press, Black Cat (2016), 304 pages
Description
Set in an alternative historical present, in a "eusistocracy"--An extreme welfare state -- that holds public health and social stability above all else, it follows a young woman whose growing addiction to illegal chili peppers leads her on an adventure into a world where love, sex, and free will are all controlled by the state.
User reviews
LibraryThing member AnnieMod
In a parallel Finland, in the near future, the society is split into almost casts - women are bred to be feminine and submissive; men to be powerful and manly. Unfortunately Vanna is not born to be submissive but thanks to her little sister manages to hide it. (A little sidetrack here - I have a
Women have no rights - they are the property of their husbands after they are married; their only goal in life is to marry and bring correct children in the world.
At the same time, the government is forbidding substances and anything that may make people think. Or feel. Including hot peppers. And that is what a cult is started around - finding the hottest pepper that can be bred.
It is a frustrating novel - I loved the depiction of the society and the subtle (and not so subtle) changes that made the society so different from ours. It is scary and relevant and so well done. And at the same time, there is the story of the cult and the chase of the hot pepper. And that one simply did not work for me -- and the end of the novel ties that story line. I am not a huge fan of weird stories - I prefer the straight SF. And Sinisalo had always been on the fringes - weird is her thing. But I am still happy that I read the novel - her anti-utopian society is one of the best depicted ones I had read lately.
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younger sister. I would have done anything to stay with her in similar circumstances - so that part really rang true). And even though she is classified as eloi (the feminine women), she grows up as an independent woman - she learns to read, to think, to feel. Women have no rights - they are the property of their husbands after they are married; their only goal in life is to marry and bring correct children in the world.
At the same time, the government is forbidding substances and anything that may make people think. Or feel. Including hot peppers. And that is what a cult is started around - finding the hottest pepper that can be bred.
It is a frustrating novel - I loved the depiction of the society and the subtle (and not so subtle) changes that made the society so different from ours. It is scary and relevant and so well done. And at the same time, there is the story of the cult and the chase of the hot pepper. And that one simply did not work for me -- and the end of the novel ties that story line. I am not a huge fan of weird stories - I prefer the straight SF. And Sinisalo had always been on the fringes - weird is her thing. But I am still happy that I read the novel - her anti-utopian society is one of the best depicted ones I had read lately.
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
What an odd little book! Of course, after reading Sinisalo's 'Troll,' I was expecting some oddness.
This alternate-history gives us a Handmaid's Tale/Brave New World-type mirror of modern-day Finland; one where an exceedingly restrictive social plan has been instituted, and women have been relegated
Part of that foreign decay is the production of food containing that dangerous and addictive drug, capsaicin. All spicy foods are banned, and there's an underground drug trade in chili peppers.
Our main character, Vanna, has 'passed' as an eloi femiwoman her whole life, due to her attractive looks. However, she knows she's really a morlock, and that if she shows curiosity, initiative or other 'unfeminine' traits, she'll be doomed to a life of hard labor. Her life has been devoted to caring for her twin sister, who's always been a model of eloi domestic passivity. The desire to provide for her helpless sister led her to drug dealing. But now, her twin is missing, presumed dead, Vanna suspects her brother-in-law of murder, and in her grief she has turned to dipping into her own stock - she's become a chili pepper addict.
Vanna wants to escape repressive Finland with her dealer/partner Jare - but she also wants to find - or find justice for - her sister.
The tone of the book is a bit odd, teetering between silly satire and earnest social critique. I think it would've been more successful if it moved more wholeheartedly toward the satire end of things, partly because the 'science' here really doesn't hold up, and partly because the social elements that are critiqued here have been critiqued before, oh so many times. The mix reminded me quite a lot of Atwood's recent 'The Heart Goes Last' - I'd highly recommend this book to fans of that one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
This alternate-history gives us a Handmaid's Tale/Brave New World-type mirror of modern-day Finland; one where an exceedingly restrictive social plan has been instituted, and women have been relegated
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to second-class citizens. The government calls this 'new' Finland a 'eusistocracy, ' claiming that it values the happiness and well-being of its citizens above all else. Eugenics is being used to breed 'proper' citizens; those who don't meet certain standards are sterilized. The decadence and decay of more-liberal countries is frequently emphasized in propaganda.Part of that foreign decay is the production of food containing that dangerous and addictive drug, capsaicin. All spicy foods are banned, and there's an underground drug trade in chili peppers.
Our main character, Vanna, has 'passed' as an eloi femiwoman her whole life, due to her attractive looks. However, she knows she's really a morlock, and that if she shows curiosity, initiative or other 'unfeminine' traits, she'll be doomed to a life of hard labor. Her life has been devoted to caring for her twin sister, who's always been a model of eloi domestic passivity. The desire to provide for her helpless sister led her to drug dealing. But now, her twin is missing, presumed dead, Vanna suspects her brother-in-law of murder, and in her grief she has turned to dipping into her own stock - she's become a chili pepper addict.
Vanna wants to escape repressive Finland with her dealer/partner Jare - but she also wants to find - or find justice for - her sister.
The tone of the book is a bit odd, teetering between silly satire and earnest social critique. I think it would've been more successful if it moved more wholeheartedly toward the satire end of things, partly because the 'science' here really doesn't hold up, and partly because the social elements that are critiqued here have been critiqued before, oh so many times. The mix reminded me quite a lot of Atwood's recent 'The Heart Goes Last' - I'd highly recommend this book to fans of that one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
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LibraryThing member bostonbibliophile
solid B+ sci fi dystopia handmaid's-tale-inspired story about a future Finland in which women are either "elois" who get married or "morlocks" who do the dirty work, and one woman who tries to rebel against the system. I enjoyed it, I read it quickly and I'd recommend it as a literary beach book.
LibraryThing member dwhatson
I'm not sure how I came across this book but I'm glad I did. Sinisalo invents a uchronic Finland where a human female sub-species has been bred. Known as Eloi, they are submissive, receptive and bred for sex and procreation. Intelligent, independent women, Morlocks, are not permitted to reproduce
Vana looks like an Eloi but isn't. She wants to rescue her Eloi sister Manna. To do it she needs the money and teams up with a male friend, Jare, to sell chilli. Chilli is considered to be an extremely dangerous stimulant by the Finnish Health authority and the growing or possession of it is illegal. To complicate matters, Vana is an addict and her addiction is getting worse.
Sinisalo tells a truly twisted tale through multiple viewpoints (Vana's and Jare's), letters that Vana writes to Manna that provide the backstory for their current predicament, snatches of government publications, education publications, and excerpts from magazines. The result is an unapologetic social commentary. Sinisalo's satire kicks the patriarchy, and the mechanisms that support it, where it's needed. A highly recommended read from the queen of 'Finnish Weird'.
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and are doomed to a life of menial labour. The Eusistocratic Republic of Finland benefits and strengthens the patriarchy.Vana looks like an Eloi but isn't. She wants to rescue her Eloi sister Manna. To do it she needs the money and teams up with a male friend, Jare, to sell chilli. Chilli is considered to be an extremely dangerous stimulant by the Finnish Health authority and the growing or possession of it is illegal. To complicate matters, Vana is an addict and her addiction is getting worse.
Sinisalo tells a truly twisted tale through multiple viewpoints (Vana's and Jare's), letters that Vana writes to Manna that provide the backstory for their current predicament, snatches of government publications, education publications, and excerpts from magazines. The result is an unapologetic social commentary. Sinisalo's satire kicks the patriarchy, and the mechanisms that support it, where it's needed. A highly recommended read from the queen of 'Finnish Weird'.
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LibraryThing member Gwendydd
I didn't finish this. It was weird and intriguing, but felt a lot like The Handmaid's Tale because it's a misogynist dystopia that's disturbingly easy to imagine, and I don't have the energy to deal with that.
LibraryThing member tldegray
So this is "Finnish weird," huh? I like it and I want more, especially from Johanna Sinisalo.
This book is... well, it's a suspenseful mystery set in a horrifying and plausible dystopian now with some magical realism woven between it all.
Vanna is an addict. A chile addict. In Finland in 2016
This story is told with letters Vanna/Vera writes to Manna/Mira, which tells their life stories from the beginning when their parents died and they moved to Finland to live with their only relative to the end where Vanna finds out what happend to her missing sister; in excerpts from fictional (and occasionally real!) books and articles about the history of Finland, which explain the history and realities of modern Finland; and through Vanna (and occasionally her masco friend Jare's) present-day actions from Vanna's chile highs and confused grief to Jare's future plans and their shared chile-dealing business with a bit of capsaicin-spirituality over and above it all.
I loved this book. I was shocked by Vanna, I pitied her, her sister, and everyone trapped as they were, I was frightened by the very plausible history of Finnish society the author created, and I was always, always entertained. Also, I really want some spicy peppers now, but Vanna can keep the core of the sun for herself.
[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.]
This book is... well, it's a suspenseful mystery set in a horrifying and plausible dystopian now with some magical realism woven between it all.
Vanna is an addict. A chile addict. In Finland in 2016
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chiles, along with other dangerous and addictive substances like alcohol and drugs, are banned. Vanna is also a "morlock"--a woman who doesn't meet societal standards and isn't allowed to breed--except Vanna is also an "eloi," or at least she was raised pretending to be one. Her sister, Manna, is an eloi, the type of "femiwoman" Finland has been selectively breeding for for generations. Vanna is also Vera, and Manna is Mira, because soft elois can't have hard Rs in their names. Rs and other special things--like independence and nearly Stepford-like wives--are saved for mascos. This story is told with letters Vanna/Vera writes to Manna/Mira, which tells their life stories from the beginning when their parents died and they moved to Finland to live with their only relative to the end where Vanna finds out what happend to her missing sister; in excerpts from fictional (and occasionally real!) books and articles about the history of Finland, which explain the history and realities of modern Finland; and through Vanna (and occasionally her masco friend Jare's) present-day actions from Vanna's chile highs and confused grief to Jare's future plans and their shared chile-dealing business with a bit of capsaicin-spirituality over and above it all.
I loved this book. I was shocked by Vanna, I pitied her, her sister, and everyone trapped as they were, I was frightened by the very plausible history of Finnish society the author created, and I was always, always entertained. Also, I really want some spicy peppers now, but Vanna can keep the core of the sun for herself.
[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.]
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Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2018)
Otherwise Award (Honor List — 2016)
Prometheus Award (Nominee — Novel — 2017)
Zsoldos Péter Award (Translation — 2020)
Locus Recommended Reading (2016)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
304 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
080212464X / 9780802124647
Local notes
fiction