Summer Fishing in Lapland

Summer Fishing In Lapland is the first novel by Finnish author, Juhani Karila. It is translated into English by Lola Rogers. For the last five years it's been Elina Ylijaako's summer ritual to travel back to her home village of Vuopio in eastern Lapland. It's not a particularly popular place: "A horizon pierced by scruffy spruce, appalling desolation that keeps the people mute and the myths strong."

She treks through the swamp where "A song thrush is cooing in the pines, and just ahead a black cloud of mosquitoes is rising from the swamp. Horseflies were living Swiss Army knives built by Satan himself, because they had spoons in their mouths, too, for ladling up the blood" and catches the sole remaining pike left in Pike Pond after the meltwaters recede. It's important, and needs to be done by the 18th of June: her life depends on it. Just why is gradually revelaed.

Usually, she catches the pike on first cast, but this year, things go awry: there's a knacky at Pike Pond, a malevolent water spirit that is set on preventing her catch. She tries a few tricks that don't work, and her deadline is getting close, so she has to visit Dead Man's Island to enlist some spiritual help.

On Elina's trail is Detective Janatuinen, wanting to question her about a homicide that her city row house neighbour witnessed, and trace evidence confirmed. She's not finding the Vuopio locals very helpful, though. Her police chief has told her that things are a bit different up there, to go with the flow.

So when the owner of The Vuopio Lure, the fishing tackle shop, insists on a favour in exchange for information, she reluctantly agrees. Taking a furry creature known as a raskel fishing in a rowboat, and encountering some rapacious river wretches is unexpected, but Janatuinen is resourceful.

When she heads off in her chief's old Toyota to find Elina, though, the raskel won't leave, and everyone knows they make a dangerous pet: "You know you got a raskel in your back seat?" is the constant refrain.

While Elina is making hard-to-keep bargains with mythical creatures to outwit other mythical creatures, Janatuinen is hearing a story from Elina's Vuopio neighbour about the murder, by Young Lady Ylijaako, of the town's former police chief.

Karila's story features plenty of mythical creatures, witchcraft, spells and curses, as well as some very quirky, but appealing townspeople, romance, a bit of heartbreak and lots of laugh-out-loud humour, some of it quite dark. More from this author is definitely welcome. Clever, funny, a little bizarre and very entertaining.

This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pushkin Press.