What do you think?
Rate this book
He
Veljekset Henrik ja Erik ovat kasvaneet isossa talossa heikon miehen poikina ja molempia vaivaa levottomuus. Henrik, pitkävihainen ja kiihkeämielinen, on lähtenyt maailmalle ja jättänyt tilan uhkapelejä harrastavalle Erikille. Käenpoikana talossa asuu Mauri-serkku, lähes palkolliseksi alennettu. Huoneissa kulkee myös Emäntä, poikien äiti, joka hukuttaa elämänsä tyhjyyttä paloviinaan. Lisäksi on vanha Muonamies, joka näkee mökistään kaiken.
Romaanin tarina alkaa kyteä, kun Henrik palaa Pietarista. Kotitalolla kohtaavat Suomen sodassa eri puolilla taistelleet miehet, mutta heidän todellinen vihollisensa on serkkupoika, joka odottaa mustasydämisenä hetkeään. Shakespearelaisiin mittoihin nouseva petoksen ja koston näytelmä leimahtaa lopussa täyteen roihuunsa, ja vuosikymmenten ajan ääneen lausumattomat totuudet repeytyvät esiin.
Romaanin tarina alkaa kyteä, kun Henrik palaa Pietarista. Kotitalolla kohtaavat Suomen sodassa eri puolilla taistelleet miehet, mutta heidän todellinen vihollisensa on serkkupoika, joka odottaa mustasydämisenä hetkeään. Shakespearelaisiin mittoihin nouseva petoksen ja koston näytelmä leimahtaa lopussa täyteen roihuunsa, ja vuosikymmenten ajan ääneen lausumattomat totuudet repeytyvät esiin.
120 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
5 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Asko Sahlberg
23 books13 followersAsko Sahlberg, born 1964, has acquired a fame in Finland that has yet to be replicated in the English speaking world. He published his first novel in 2000 and has written steadily since then, completing his ninth work, The Brothers, in 2010.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
March 6, 2012
Translated from the Finnish by Emily Jeremiah and Fleur Jeremiah
"I sensed that motherhood was terrible, perhaps sweet at times, but above all terrible. Not because one human child would be more horrendous than another, nor is it so that offspring cannot bring joy when little and be useful when grown up, but because motherhood makes it possible for future generations to be rocked by dark tragedies."
The Old Mistress in this snowy and tense Finnish tale reflects on her early impressions of motherhood, and what sort of legacy her two sons would be for her. It's right that she worries, for she is desperately miserable in her desolate forest home, where she has to deal with "people whose speech tells you they have rough palms" as well as a sickly husband. Added to this, she has furtive servants and two wildly opposing boys, Erik and Henrik.
Erik and Henrik are introduced as quarrelsome boys who end up on opposite sides during the war between Sweden and Russia (this takes place in 1809). Neither character is fully exposed, so the tension between the two is immediately apparent while the meaning behind it is delayed. As the plot twists, the reader can see that this was intended...for the reader is given no easy clues to unravel the family's drama.
"...for a time I was able to watch the boys grow up with at least distant pride. But boys are fated to grow into men, and a mother has to follow this tragedy as a silent bystander. And now it seems they will kill each other, and then this, too, can be added to my never-ending list of losses."
The character of their mother, the Old Mistress, is one of the most powerful female characters to be found in modern fiction: she has no saving grace that makes her likable or even necessary. Her anger and rage doesn't make her a stereotypical obstacle: rather, she intrigues the reader and pulls out an interest in her that detracts a bit from the animosity between the boys. And author Sahlberg makes her a key to the plot-- a veritable loose cannon as the plot proceeds.
"I took up the habit of moving all the yesterdays and tomorrows discreetly to one side. I have never deceived myself in this respect: I gulp down spirits like a sailor".
Along with the Old Mistress, other characters speak in the first person voice, including both boys. But while the world orbits between their opposite poles, another character begins to invade the literal and figurative world of the desolate farm. This outsider quietly alters the lives of everyone involved, and controls the plot to its remarkable ending.
Several details of note: the subtle writing definitely follows the rule of "show, don't tell". Broken veins on the cheeks of a character are a detail not elaborated on, yet critically important. Scenes between silent characters are so detailed that even without the dialogue, one reads an entire conversation. These kind of details made me wish I could go back and read it again, slower, to catch the amazing writing that can capture so many variants of meaning with the same words, even the same characters, at different times. This subtlety seems to mirror the cold, snowy landscape.
I have to confess, I searched a thesaurus to find other ways to say 'tension' and 'subtle'! I really can't emphasize the taut and bare style of the work enough without saying "tension" repeatedly. So, let me just throw it out there: tension. Everywhere.
Here’s a great link to the actual details of the war the brothers fought in, with some painfully ironic remarks about the changing nature of their uniforms. http://www.napoleon-series.org/milita...
"I sensed that motherhood was terrible, perhaps sweet at times, but above all terrible. Not because one human child would be more horrendous than another, nor is it so that offspring cannot bring joy when little and be useful when grown up, but because motherhood makes it possible for future generations to be rocked by dark tragedies."
The Old Mistress in this snowy and tense Finnish tale reflects on her early impressions of motherhood, and what sort of legacy her two sons would be for her. It's right that she worries, for she is desperately miserable in her desolate forest home, where she has to deal with "people whose speech tells you they have rough palms" as well as a sickly husband. Added to this, she has furtive servants and two wildly opposing boys, Erik and Henrik.
Erik and Henrik are introduced as quarrelsome boys who end up on opposite sides during the war between Sweden and Russia (this takes place in 1809). Neither character is fully exposed, so the tension between the two is immediately apparent while the meaning behind it is delayed. As the plot twists, the reader can see that this was intended...for the reader is given no easy clues to unravel the family's drama.
"...for a time I was able to watch the boys grow up with at least distant pride. But boys are fated to grow into men, and a mother has to follow this tragedy as a silent bystander. And now it seems they will kill each other, and then this, too, can be added to my never-ending list of losses."
The character of their mother, the Old Mistress, is one of the most powerful female characters to be found in modern fiction: she has no saving grace that makes her likable or even necessary. Her anger and rage doesn't make her a stereotypical obstacle: rather, she intrigues the reader and pulls out an interest in her that detracts a bit from the animosity between the boys. And author Sahlberg makes her a key to the plot-- a veritable loose cannon as the plot proceeds.
"I took up the habit of moving all the yesterdays and tomorrows discreetly to one side. I have never deceived myself in this respect: I gulp down spirits like a sailor".
Along with the Old Mistress, other characters speak in the first person voice, including both boys. But while the world orbits between their opposite poles, another character begins to invade the literal and figurative world of the desolate farm. This outsider quietly alters the lives of everyone involved, and controls the plot to its remarkable ending.
Several details of note: the subtle writing definitely follows the rule of "show, don't tell". Broken veins on the cheeks of a character are a detail not elaborated on, yet critically important. Scenes between silent characters are so detailed that even without the dialogue, one reads an entire conversation. These kind of details made me wish I could go back and read it again, slower, to catch the amazing writing that can capture so many variants of meaning with the same words, even the same characters, at different times. This subtlety seems to mirror the cold, snowy landscape.
I have to confess, I searched a thesaurus to find other ways to say 'tension' and 'subtle'! I really can't emphasize the taut and bare style of the work enough without saying "tension" repeatedly. So, let me just throw it out there: tension. Everywhere.
Here’s a great link to the actual details of the war the brothers fought in, with some painfully ironic remarks about the changing nature of their uniforms. http://www.napoleon-series.org/milita...
September 21, 2016
The Brothers is an early Peirene publication, and one I had not been able to find a copy of. It really took my fancy, particularly since I will happily read anything set within the bounds of Scandinavia. This particular novella takes the Finland of 1809 as its setting, and has been translated from its original Finnish by Emily and Fleur Jeremiah. The blurb hails it ‘a Shakespearean drama from icy Finland’, and it has been written by an author who is quite the celebrity in his native land.
The brothers of the book’s title are Henrik and Erik, who fought on opposing sides in the war between Sweden and Russia. To borrow a portion of the blurb, ‘with peace declared, they both return to their snowed-in farm. But who is the master? Sexual tensions, old grudges, family secrets: all come to a head in this dark and gripping saga’. Its attention-grabbing beginning immediately sets the scene, and demonstrates the chasm of difference between our protagonists: ‘I have barely caught the crunch of snow and I know who is coming. Henrik treads heavily and unhurriedly, as is his wont, grinding his feet into the earth. The brothers are so different. Erik walks fast, with light steps; he is always in a hurry, here then gone’. Later, of Henrik, Erik tells Anna: ‘… he said that we came into this world in the wrong order. That he’s not comfortable here and doesn’t want to remain here, that he wants to see the world’.
Multiple narrators lead us through the whole. We are treated to the distinctive voices of the farmhand, Anna, Henrik, Erik, and their mother, the Old Mistress. This technique makes The Brothers feel like a multi-layered work from the very beginning. Their voices are distinctive, and the farmhand especially - contrary perhaps to expectations - is sometimes rather profound: ‘A human being never sheds his past. He drags it around like an old overcoat and you know him by this coat, by the way it looks and smells. Henrik’s coat is heavy and gloomy, exuding the dark stench of blood’.
As one might expect, the landscape plays a big part in this novella, as does darkness, both literally and metaphorically. Characters are often compared to things like trees and woodpiles. Sahlberg captures things magnificently; he is perceptive of the smallest of details. Of the Old Mistress, he writes: ‘Her eyes change again. A moment ago, they were shaded. Now they darken, open out in the middle, become tiny black abysses which suck in the gaze’. His prose is thoughtful too, and he continually views things through the lens of others, thinking to great effect how a particular scene will make an individual feel. For instance, the Old Mistress says, ‘But boys are fated to grow into men, and a mother has to follow this tragedy as a silent bystander. And now it seems they will kill each other, and then this, too, can be added to my neverending list of losses’. Sahlberg is that rare breed of writer who can get inside his characters’ heads, no matter how disparate they are, and regardless of their gender and age. Each voice here feels authentic, peppered with concerns and thoughts which are utterly believable, and which are specifically tailored to the individual.
The politics of the period have been woven in to good effect, but Sahlberg makes it obvious that it is the characters which are his focus. Their backstories are thorough and believable; they are never overdone. The Brothers is an absorbing novella and, as with all of Peirene’s publications, a great addition and perfect fit to their growing list of important translated novellas.
The brothers of the book’s title are Henrik and Erik, who fought on opposing sides in the war between Sweden and Russia. To borrow a portion of the blurb, ‘with peace declared, they both return to their snowed-in farm. But who is the master? Sexual tensions, old grudges, family secrets: all come to a head in this dark and gripping saga’. Its attention-grabbing beginning immediately sets the scene, and demonstrates the chasm of difference between our protagonists: ‘I have barely caught the crunch of snow and I know who is coming. Henrik treads heavily and unhurriedly, as is his wont, grinding his feet into the earth. The brothers are so different. Erik walks fast, with light steps; he is always in a hurry, here then gone’. Later, of Henrik, Erik tells Anna: ‘… he said that we came into this world in the wrong order. That he’s not comfortable here and doesn’t want to remain here, that he wants to see the world’.
Multiple narrators lead us through the whole. We are treated to the distinctive voices of the farmhand, Anna, Henrik, Erik, and their mother, the Old Mistress. This technique makes The Brothers feel like a multi-layered work from the very beginning. Their voices are distinctive, and the farmhand especially - contrary perhaps to expectations - is sometimes rather profound: ‘A human being never sheds his past. He drags it around like an old overcoat and you know him by this coat, by the way it looks and smells. Henrik’s coat is heavy and gloomy, exuding the dark stench of blood’.
As one might expect, the landscape plays a big part in this novella, as does darkness, both literally and metaphorically. Characters are often compared to things like trees and woodpiles. Sahlberg captures things magnificently; he is perceptive of the smallest of details. Of the Old Mistress, he writes: ‘Her eyes change again. A moment ago, they were shaded. Now they darken, open out in the middle, become tiny black abysses which suck in the gaze’. His prose is thoughtful too, and he continually views things through the lens of others, thinking to great effect how a particular scene will make an individual feel. For instance, the Old Mistress says, ‘But boys are fated to grow into men, and a mother has to follow this tragedy as a silent bystander. And now it seems they will kill each other, and then this, too, can be added to my neverending list of losses’. Sahlberg is that rare breed of writer who can get inside his characters’ heads, no matter how disparate they are, and regardless of their gender and age. Each voice here feels authentic, peppered with concerns and thoughts which are utterly believable, and which are specifically tailored to the individual.
The politics of the period have been woven in to good effect, but Sahlberg makes it obvious that it is the characters which are his focus. Their backstories are thorough and believable; they are never overdone. The Brothers is an absorbing novella and, as with all of Peirene’s publications, a great addition and perfect fit to their growing list of important translated novellas.
August 23, 2024
Set in the winter of 1808 at the end of the Finnish War this is, not surprisingly, the story of two brothers. The brothers, Henrik and Erik, fought on opposite sides in the war, as Finland was fought over by Russia and Sweden. Henrik lost his wife in the war and is returning after many years away.
Emotions are close to boiling over, and the bleak snow covered wilderness adds to the tension.
Sahlberg portrays the brothers in fragile states, experiencing despair, regret and resentfulness, yet they earn the sympathy of the reader because they are genuine and honest.
Its theme is how major events in history can affect the average working person. It’s a powerful story that with a splash of dark humour would have broken the bleakness and made it into an excellent read.
Emotions are close to boiling over, and the bleak snow covered wilderness adds to the tension.
Sahlberg portrays the brothers in fragile states, experiencing despair, regret and resentfulness, yet they earn the sympathy of the reader because they are genuine and honest.
Its theme is how major events in history can affect the average working person. It’s a powerful story that with a splash of dark humour would have broken the bleakness and made it into an excellent read.
December 29, 2014
A little costume drama. Less worthy or experimental than the other Peirene books I've read, instead simply quality entertainment. A plot twist that makes me laugh is definitely entertainment...
Blurbs and quotes on the jacket make allusions to 'Shakespearean drama' (yes, the intense human interactions and family politics), William Faulkner (yes, rural, gothic, brooding), and 'a good soap opera' (yes it deals in tropes, but uses them satisfyingly).
It effortlessly provides its own background to the setting: Finland, 1809, at the end of a war between Sweden and Russia - in which the titular farming, feuding brothers fought on different sides - Finland has passed into Russian hands after hundreds of years of Swedish rule. I'd never have bothered with a similar story set in America, and this was atmospheric as well as making it unnecessary to look up historical details. (Though I wanted to, and did, anyway.) It feels properly nineteenth century without characters being modernised; the only major differences from a C19th original are the allusions to sex, and the amount of space given to the voices of servants.
As with Icelandic translator Victoria Cribb, I'm not quite sure, less sure, about the work of the Finnish translators here, Fleur and Emily Jeremiah. The Brothers was better and much more absorbing than Mr Darwin's Gardener, the other novella they translated for Peirene, but at the beginning especially, it felt like the work of the same person (perhaps contemporary Finnish writing simply has its equivalent of a standard litfic style). And as in the other book, the characters' voices sounded too similar, although their personalities were unquestionably distinct. All the books, from Cribb as well as the Jeremiahs, have been blander, less wow than I'd expected, particularly in the writing style, but not actually bad. I'm a little hesitant to read these translators again despite my interest in the relevant cultures, but as with Peirene, whose 4-star-ness I'm now resigned to, I may simply need to adjust expectations and not assume I'll agree with 100% of the lit-media and book-blog hype.
Blurbs and quotes on the jacket make allusions to 'Shakespearean drama' (yes, the intense human interactions and family politics), William Faulkner (yes, rural, gothic, brooding), and 'a good soap opera' (yes it deals in tropes, but uses them satisfyingly).
It effortlessly provides its own background to the setting: Finland, 1809, at the end of a war between Sweden and Russia - in which the titular farming, feuding brothers fought on different sides - Finland has passed into Russian hands after hundreds of years of Swedish rule. I'd never have bothered with a similar story set in America, and this was atmospheric as well as making it unnecessary to look up historical details. (Though I wanted to, and did, anyway.) It feels properly nineteenth century without characters being modernised; the only major differences from a C19th original are the allusions to sex, and the amount of space given to the voices of servants.
As with Icelandic translator Victoria Cribb, I'm not quite sure, less sure, about the work of the Finnish translators here, Fleur and Emily Jeremiah. The Brothers was better and much more absorbing than Mr Darwin's Gardener, the other novella they translated for Peirene, but at the beginning especially, it felt like the work of the same person (perhaps contemporary Finnish writing simply has its equivalent of a standard litfic style). And as in the other book, the characters' voices sounded too similar, although their personalities were unquestionably distinct. All the books, from Cribb as well as the Jeremiahs, have been blander, less wow than I'd expected, particularly in the writing style, but not actually bad. I'm a little hesitant to read these translators again despite my interest in the relevant cultures, but as with Peirene, whose 4-star-ness I'm now resigned to, I may simply need to adjust expectations and not assume I'll agree with 100% of the lit-media and book-blog hype.
April 6, 2015
I bought this book when it was one of Amazon's daily Kindle deals last year. The blurb seemed interesting, and at 99p, I figured I couldn't go wrong.
And so it sat, unread and unremembered on my Kindle for months, languishing in my ever expanding "To Read" collection. It would probably be there still, if I hadn't been for the rapidly approaching new year. I wanted a short book to get through before the years end and, at 120 pages, "The Brothers" fit the bill.
As it turned out, though it was promoted from "To Read" to "Reading" at the end of November, I didn't actually start it until this weekend. (Procrastination, thy name is Danny)
A part of me wishes I had read it sooner -another part of me is happy I didn't as it means I can share my impressions of it with you. (Hint: I loved it!)
The book has been described as "A Shakespearean drama from icy Finland", and, though apt, I don't feel that truly does it justice. I feels more like a sweeping 19th century (Russian?) epic, condensed down to its most pure, distilled form - like good Finnish vodka!
Reading this book, it never feels like there is a single wasted line or superfluous word -yet at the same time, each of the multiple viewpoint characters feels completely unique and engaging, their voices all individual.
The book is set in 1809, in the aftermath of the Finnish war between Sweden and Russia, in a large farmhouse Finland. Sweden has lost the war - and the Finnish territory to the Russian Empire, and as a result, things are very unsettled.
The Brothers of the tile refer to Henrik and Erik - previously close, they had been driven apart prior to the war over matters of love and honor To further complicate matters, they each fought of opposite sides during the conflict - Erik for the Swedes, Henrik for the Russians.
Erik, though the younger brother, is in possession of the house, following events that are slowly revealed in the course of the book, and lives there with his wife, his mother, his manservant - who is also an impoverished relative, the loyal Farmhand, and various servants.
Henrik, who left the farm for initially unstated reasons years before, returns at the start of the book, and serves as a catalyst for the events that follow.
The Brothers is a book that, despite its short length, is so full of twists and turns, secrets, grudges love and hatred that saying to much more could ruin someone enjoyment.
Sahlberg (and the translators) brings it all together masterfully, creating engaging fully realised world, one that you can practically touch and taste and smell.
It may not be to everyone's taste, but I would urge anyone looking for a good, thought provoking work of historical fiction to read to give this book a try.
And so it sat, unread and unremembered on my Kindle for months, languishing in my ever expanding "To Read" collection. It would probably be there still, if I hadn't been for the rapidly approaching new year. I wanted a short book to get through before the years end and, at 120 pages, "The Brothers" fit the bill.
As it turned out, though it was promoted from "To Read" to "Reading" at the end of November, I didn't actually start it until this weekend. (Procrastination, thy name is Danny)
A part of me wishes I had read it sooner -another part of me is happy I didn't as it means I can share my impressions of it with you. (Hint: I loved it!)
The book has been described as "A Shakespearean drama from icy Finland", and, though apt, I don't feel that truly does it justice. I feels more like a sweeping 19th century (Russian?) epic, condensed down to its most pure, distilled form - like good Finnish vodka!
Reading this book, it never feels like there is a single wasted line or superfluous word -yet at the same time, each of the multiple viewpoint characters feels completely unique and engaging, their voices all individual.
The book is set in 1809, in the aftermath of the Finnish war between Sweden and Russia, in a large farmhouse Finland. Sweden has lost the war - and the Finnish territory to the Russian Empire, and as a result, things are very unsettled.
The Brothers of the tile refer to Henrik and Erik - previously close, they had been driven apart prior to the war over matters of love and honor To further complicate matters, they each fought of opposite sides during the conflict - Erik for the Swedes, Henrik for the Russians.
Erik, though the younger brother, is in possession of the house, following events that are slowly revealed in the course of the book, and lives there with his wife, his mother, his manservant - who is also an impoverished relative, the loyal Farmhand, and various servants.
Henrik, who left the farm for initially unstated reasons years before, returns at the start of the book, and serves as a catalyst for the events that follow.
The Brothers is a book that, despite its short length, is so full of twists and turns, secrets, grudges love and hatred that saying to much more could ruin someone enjoyment.
Sahlberg (and the translators) brings it all together masterfully, creating engaging fully realised world, one that you can practically touch and taste and smell.
It may not be to everyone's taste, but I would urge anyone looking for a good, thought provoking work of historical fiction to read to give this book a try.
November 3, 2012
I’ve been a convert to Peirene Press’s editions of contemporary European fiction since I read The Murder of Halland by Danish author Pia Juul, and the short stories of Austrian Alois Hotschnig (Maybe This Time). The Brothers comes from Finland and is by Asko Sahlberg, one of the country’s best poets and prose writers, but very little known in England. The book blurb was terse and very brief, but when I read it, I knew I wanted to read the book:
‘Finland, 1809. Henrik and Erik are brothers who fought on opposite sides in the war between Sweden and Russia. With peace declared, they both return to their snowed-in farm. But who is the master? Sexual tensions, old grudges, family secrets: all come to a head in this dark and gripping saga.’
It all begins with a horse - Henrik ‘was a man born to understand horses’. As a young boy, working his father’s estate, Henrik sees a young colt in a neighbour’s field and knows immediately that he wants it. It’s a big, ugly, beast of a horse, which has‘the burning eyes of a wolf or a lion, or maybe the Beast of the Book of Revelation’, but there’s a definite, uncanny, connection between boy and colt.
Henrik works five years to get the money to pay for the horse, but in the end he is cheated out of it, as he is cheated of the woman he loves. He leaves the house in anger and despair to fight for the Russian Emperor, in the war over Finland, while his brother fights on the Swedish side. Henrik hopes to find a new identity in Russia: ‘In St Petersburg, I thought I could strip off this nation like a torn shirt, but it was not that easy.’ There is too much unfinished business at home, particularly the enmity between the brothers.
When Henrik returns, his presence causes ripples of fear and unease in the house. As the Farmhand remarks, ‘A human being never sheds his past. He drags it around like an old overcoat....’ Henrik’s father is dead, his brother Erik now manages the estate and his mother, ‘the Old Mistress’ is in charge of the house. Henrik has little regard for her either, commenting, ‘I might as well pay my respects to the whore of Babylon.’
We are inside each character’s head in turn and this gives the narrative a certain intensity, but also a claustrophobic feeling, as if you are in an Ibsen drama, inhabiting one character after the other, playing them all. It took a little getting used to, but in the end I thought it was very effective, and the language is as economical as poetry.
Henrik has returned home at a critical moment. His brother Erik is mysteriously absent, Anna, Erik’s wife, believes he is having an affair. Henrik’s mother has taken to drink and the destitute cousin, Mauri, who lives with them as a kind of superior servant, is behaving oddly. Only the Farmhand is what he has always been. Although Henrik treats him with contempt, he is also aware that ‘he is the only one of us who is free from the sin of lying and thus he is innocent’. The atmosphere inside the isolated farmhouse is tense with mutual distrust and dislike.
The novel builds to a very satisfying climax, which I didn’t expect. Because you see every character from every other character’s perspective, you begin to have a detailed picture of each person and a cumulative knowledge of what is about to happen.
It’s wonderful to get these glimpses into what is going on in European literature at the moment. What is published in England these days seems mostly to look across the Atlantic to America. In Europe there are different traditions of story-telling and much more experimental writing. I suppose the nearest I’ve read recently would be The Lighthouse by Alison Moore, published by Salt - that’s definitely in the European tradition, and about the same length. I’ve got a couple more Peirene Press books on the virtual bookshelf, but I’m saving them for a treat! Peirene Press have the added advantage that their e-books are very attractively priced in relation to the paper back.
‘Finland, 1809. Henrik and Erik are brothers who fought on opposite sides in the war between Sweden and Russia. With peace declared, they both return to their snowed-in farm. But who is the master? Sexual tensions, old grudges, family secrets: all come to a head in this dark and gripping saga.’
It all begins with a horse - Henrik ‘was a man born to understand horses’. As a young boy, working his father’s estate, Henrik sees a young colt in a neighbour’s field and knows immediately that he wants it. It’s a big, ugly, beast of a horse, which has‘the burning eyes of a wolf or a lion, or maybe the Beast of the Book of Revelation’, but there’s a definite, uncanny, connection between boy and colt.
Henrik works five years to get the money to pay for the horse, but in the end he is cheated out of it, as he is cheated of the woman he loves. He leaves the house in anger and despair to fight for the Russian Emperor, in the war over Finland, while his brother fights on the Swedish side. Henrik hopes to find a new identity in Russia: ‘In St Petersburg, I thought I could strip off this nation like a torn shirt, but it was not that easy.’ There is too much unfinished business at home, particularly the enmity between the brothers.
When Henrik returns, his presence causes ripples of fear and unease in the house. As the Farmhand remarks, ‘A human being never sheds his past. He drags it around like an old overcoat....’ Henrik’s father is dead, his brother Erik now manages the estate and his mother, ‘the Old Mistress’ is in charge of the house. Henrik has little regard for her either, commenting, ‘I might as well pay my respects to the whore of Babylon.’
We are inside each character’s head in turn and this gives the narrative a certain intensity, but also a claustrophobic feeling, as if you are in an Ibsen drama, inhabiting one character after the other, playing them all. It took a little getting used to, but in the end I thought it was very effective, and the language is as economical as poetry.
Henrik has returned home at a critical moment. His brother Erik is mysteriously absent, Anna, Erik’s wife, believes he is having an affair. Henrik’s mother has taken to drink and the destitute cousin, Mauri, who lives with them as a kind of superior servant, is behaving oddly. Only the Farmhand is what he has always been. Although Henrik treats him with contempt, he is also aware that ‘he is the only one of us who is free from the sin of lying and thus he is innocent’. The atmosphere inside the isolated farmhouse is tense with mutual distrust and dislike.
The novel builds to a very satisfying climax, which I didn’t expect. Because you see every character from every other character’s perspective, you begin to have a detailed picture of each person and a cumulative knowledge of what is about to happen.
It’s wonderful to get these glimpses into what is going on in European literature at the moment. What is published in England these days seems mostly to look across the Atlantic to America. In Europe there are different traditions of story-telling and much more experimental writing. I suppose the nearest I’ve read recently would be The Lighthouse by Alison Moore, published by Salt - that’s definitely in the European tradition, and about the same length. I’ve got a couple more Peirene Press books on the virtual bookshelf, but I’m saving them for a treat! Peirene Press have the added advantage that their e-books are very attractively priced in relation to the paper back.
Want to read
February 26, 2017
August 15, 2012
This was a bit of a surprise to me, not sure what I expected, but usually multi narrative and I dont get on, as I seem to forget who is saying what... however this one, was great.
Each of the narrators seemed to have the same unemotional tone, but it worked well.
what was I thought a story about two brothers turned into a story about the whole family, and its dynamics, and secrets.
highly recomend.
Each of the narrators seemed to have the same unemotional tone, but it worked well.
what was I thought a story about two brothers turned into a story about the whole family, and its dynamics, and secrets.
highly recomend.
January 7, 2021
Proof that complex family dramas don't have to be 1,000 pages long to be satisfying.
Read
July 24, 2023A darkly comical Finnish family drama from the past, which leaves a lot unsaid.
December 30, 2024
please don't judge me, i was unwell and then christmas happened and i just couldn't pick up a book.
this was so good! so tense and so juicy. love me some 1800s finnish drama apparently!
this was so good! so tense and so juicy. love me some 1800s finnish drama apparently!
May 16, 2018
A dense and intensive read of 120 pages. Well crafted enjoyable text that tells the story of two Finnish brothers (who fought in different armies - one in the Tsar's and the other in Gustav Adolf's - when Russia conquered the area of Finland from the King of Sweden, 1809) and the community of people living on the same land: their widowed mother and couple of farm workers. Sibling envy, family secrets - a "Shakespeare play" in early 1800's Finland.
January 28, 2021
3.5 rounded up for the atmospherics. I appreciated the sparseness of the narrative, but at the same time would have liked to see what this book would be like with more heft.
April 3, 2012
The Brothers, by Finnish writer Asko Sahlberg, is the first in Peirene Press’s series of the “Small Epic”. The publisher also draws comparisons with Shakespeare and William Faulkner. No pressure, then.
Surprisingly the book did not disappoint. It’s only 122 pages but does pack in a lot of story, including among other things warring brothers, family betrayal, sexual tension, death, illness, gambling debts, bankruptcy, attempted fratricide, blackmail, prostitution and the 1809 war between Sweden and Russia. And yet it never feels like a very dramatic book. The elements of the story accumulate quietly, like snow falling in a Finnish forest.
At first, in fact, the accumulation felt too soft for me. The novel is written in the alternating voices of each of the characters, and the voices didn’t feel real for me – they seemed overly cryptic, deliberately withholding information while dropping hints about drama to come. They said things like:
Yesterday I saw the footprints of a wolf at the edge of the snowy field. That was how I guessed. That was why I went outside, into the pale dawn.
There’s lots of that sort of thing, lots of hints and guesses and references to things we the reader don’t know about. The older brother Henrik comes back from the war, his younger brother Erik is away, and both of these things are bad. There’s a strong sense of foreboding, but nothing is revealed for a long time. Then the drama comes in an avalanche, although because most of it in flashback rather than in the timespan of the main narrative, it again has a somewhat muted feel. What would appear to verge on melodrama if recounted in real time comes to seem quite believable when delivered in flat remembrance.
To be honest I didn’t find the voices very distinct. Each section is preceded by a subheading to indicate who the narrator is, and without that I wouldn’t have had a clue. The style throughout is very consistent, literary and often poetic, whether it’s one of the brothers speaking or the wife or the vengeful cousin or the unnamed Farmhand. Only the mother stands out for being consistently out to lunch, writing about how well the hens are laying even as everything falls apart around her.
There are several revelations at the end, and although one of them was not too surprising, the others were a genuine surprise. Things seem to be moving in a particular direction and Sahlberg takes us off in another one, unpredictable and, although it relies somewhat on a deus ex machina in the form of a sudden legacy from a long-lost relative in America, still handled well and completely believable.
I’ve read all the Peirene novels so far (it’s a relatively new publishing house, in its third year, focusing on short European novels in translation), and while this isn’t my overall favourite (that honour goes to Veronique Olmi’s Beside the Sea), it’s right up there with the consistently high quality of the others, and doesn’t feel out of place among the grand comparisons drawn in the cover blurb.
Surprisingly the book did not disappoint. It’s only 122 pages but does pack in a lot of story, including among other things warring brothers, family betrayal, sexual tension, death, illness, gambling debts, bankruptcy, attempted fratricide, blackmail, prostitution and the 1809 war between Sweden and Russia. And yet it never feels like a very dramatic book. The elements of the story accumulate quietly, like snow falling in a Finnish forest.
At first, in fact, the accumulation felt too soft for me. The novel is written in the alternating voices of each of the characters, and the voices didn’t feel real for me – they seemed overly cryptic, deliberately withholding information while dropping hints about drama to come. They said things like:
Yesterday I saw the footprints of a wolf at the edge of the snowy field. That was how I guessed. That was why I went outside, into the pale dawn.
There’s lots of that sort of thing, lots of hints and guesses and references to things we the reader don’t know about. The older brother Henrik comes back from the war, his younger brother Erik is away, and both of these things are bad. There’s a strong sense of foreboding, but nothing is revealed for a long time. Then the drama comes in an avalanche, although because most of it in flashback rather than in the timespan of the main narrative, it again has a somewhat muted feel. What would appear to verge on melodrama if recounted in real time comes to seem quite believable when delivered in flat remembrance.
To be honest I didn’t find the voices very distinct. Each section is preceded by a subheading to indicate who the narrator is, and without that I wouldn’t have had a clue. The style throughout is very consistent, literary and often poetic, whether it’s one of the brothers speaking or the wife or the vengeful cousin or the unnamed Farmhand. Only the mother stands out for being consistently out to lunch, writing about how well the hens are laying even as everything falls apart around her.
There are several revelations at the end, and although one of them was not too surprising, the others were a genuine surprise. Things seem to be moving in a particular direction and Sahlberg takes us off in another one, unpredictable and, although it relies somewhat on a deus ex machina in the form of a sudden legacy from a long-lost relative in America, still handled well and completely believable.
I’ve read all the Peirene novels so far (it’s a relatively new publishing house, in its third year, focusing on short European novels in translation), and while this isn’t my overall favourite (that honour goes to Veronique Olmi’s Beside the Sea), it’s right up there with the consistently high quality of the others, and doesn’t feel out of place among the grand comparisons drawn in the cover blurb.
January 18, 2020
This a family drama set around the time of the 1808–1809 war which made Finland a semi-autonomous part of the Russian Empire instead of part of the Swedish Kingdom. The relationship between the two brothers is central, but the mother, wife, father-in-law, cousin and farmhand are also important, and often more interesting.
Each character relates part of the story and both the author and translator have done a very good job at making them sound distinct. I enjoyed the style of the book more than the content.
Each character relates part of the story and both the author and translator have done a very good job at making them sound distinct. I enjoyed the style of the book more than the content.
December 31, 2024
“A human being never sheds his past. He drags it around like an old overcoat and you know him by this coat, by the way it looks and smell smells. Henrik’s coat is heavy and gloomy, exuding the dark stench of blood.”
This, like any good novella, packs a punch in its 122 pages and what an incredibly powerful read to finish 2024 on! There is not one sentence wasted in this atmospheric family saga set in Finland and the translation is just exceptional.
The story is set at the start of 19th century Finland before Finland was a nation in its own right, when its land was fought over by the Swedish and the Russian, eventually coming under Russian rule. At the heart of it are two brothers, Henrik and Erik, who fought on opposing sides of the war and as we read the chapters from various viewpoints (the brothers, their mother, their cousin, Erik’s wife, the farmhand) we learn of their family secrets, of why they hold grudges against each other, of where they came from and how all this has a bearing on where they are now and what life may hold for them.
This is a book best devoured in one sitting I think and as you are drawn into the brothers’ story, almost each page brings with itself a new revelation, a new twist. Whilst examining human nature, emotions, the impact life’s twists and turns has, the author also brings to life the Finnish countryside with such beautiful words:
“Gusts of wind disperse the falling snow, so it forms slanting trails. Smoke curls out of the chimney of the Farmhand’s hut, to yield under the heavy snowflakes and spread around the shack like mist with long tongues. Desolate and beautiful.”
So when I say this novella is so atmospheric, I mean it from every angle: the human element as well as its setting. A truly powerful, unique read that is especially perfect for cold, dark nights.
This, like any good novella, packs a punch in its 122 pages and what an incredibly powerful read to finish 2024 on! There is not one sentence wasted in this atmospheric family saga set in Finland and the translation is just exceptional.
The story is set at the start of 19th century Finland before Finland was a nation in its own right, when its land was fought over by the Swedish and the Russian, eventually coming under Russian rule. At the heart of it are two brothers, Henrik and Erik, who fought on opposing sides of the war and as we read the chapters from various viewpoints (the brothers, their mother, their cousin, Erik’s wife, the farmhand) we learn of their family secrets, of why they hold grudges against each other, of where they came from and how all this has a bearing on where they are now and what life may hold for them.
This is a book best devoured in one sitting I think and as you are drawn into the brothers’ story, almost each page brings with itself a new revelation, a new twist. Whilst examining human nature, emotions, the impact life’s twists and turns has, the author also brings to life the Finnish countryside with such beautiful words:
“Gusts of wind disperse the falling snow, so it forms slanting trails. Smoke curls out of the chimney of the Farmhand’s hut, to yield under the heavy snowflakes and spread around the shack like mist with long tongues. Desolate and beautiful.”
So when I say this novella is so atmospheric, I mean it from every angle: the human element as well as its setting. A truly powerful, unique read that is especially perfect for cold, dark nights.
January 22, 2018
Asko Sahlbergin pienoisromaani He on vahvojen tunteiden tulkki. Kirjan perhe on täynnä salaisuuksia, petoksia ja vehkeilyjä. Talo on täynnä tunteita salailusta murhanhimoiseen kateuteen asti ja kirjan lukeminen läpi kaikkien siihen kuuluvien henkilöiden ajatusten läpi oli uuvuttavaa, mutta samalla palkitsevaa. Kirja on syvien ja synkkien ajatusten ja tekojen jännittämä tarina.
Perheessä on kaksi aikuista poikaa Henrik ja Erik, joista vanhempi oli tullut kotiin Pietarista Suomen sodan jälkeen. Kotitilaa hoitaa nuorempi veli vaimonsa ja poikien äidin kanssa. Lisäksi talossa asustaa palveluskuntaa. Veljekset ovat sotineet toisiaan vastaan sodassa, jossa Suomi siirtyi Ruotsin alaisuudesta Venäjän alaisuuteen. Kuninkaanvallasta tsaarinvaltaan. Kuninkaan alaisuudessa taistelleet olivat pettureita. Sekin vielä. Henrik oli palatessaan täynnä vihaa, joka etsi purkautumistietä.
Asko Sahlbergin He kuvaa ihmismielen pimeitä puolia. Näitä pimeitä taisteluja on syntynyt aikojen saatossa vähäisestäkin omaisuudesta, naisesta, hevosesta jne. Kirjan kuvioissa omaisuutena on pitäjän suurin talo ja sen maatilat ja metsät. Kuka lähtee ja kuka jää selviää kirjan lopussa.
Perheessä on kaksi aikuista poikaa Henrik ja Erik, joista vanhempi oli tullut kotiin Pietarista Suomen sodan jälkeen. Kotitilaa hoitaa nuorempi veli vaimonsa ja poikien äidin kanssa. Lisäksi talossa asustaa palveluskuntaa. Veljekset ovat sotineet toisiaan vastaan sodassa, jossa Suomi siirtyi Ruotsin alaisuudesta Venäjän alaisuuteen. Kuninkaanvallasta tsaarinvaltaan. Kuninkaan alaisuudessa taistelleet olivat pettureita. Sekin vielä. Henrik oli palatessaan täynnä vihaa, joka etsi purkautumistietä.
Asko Sahlbergin He kuvaa ihmismielen pimeitä puolia. Näitä pimeitä taisteluja on syntynyt aikojen saatossa vähäisestäkin omaisuudesta, naisesta, hevosesta jne. Kirjan kuvioissa omaisuutena on pitäjän suurin talo ja sen maatilat ja metsät. Kuka lähtee ja kuka jää selviää kirjan lopussa.
January 6, 2024
"This house is a cadaver. The others are too close to see it, but it has already begun to decompose. I flinch from its decay. It is as if a collection of bones had been unearthed and dressed up in fine clothing to create the illusion of a real body."
Deze novelle speelt zich af in het verleden, maar kan niet echt beschouwd worden als een historische roman. Het verhaal wordt afwisselend opgebouwd door alle betrokken personages die elk met een eigen stem spreken. Van die personages draait alles rond twee broers, Henrik en Erik, die tijdens de Russisch-Zweedse oorlog elk een verschillende kant gekozen hadden, Henrik voor Rusland en Erik voor Zweden, en nu, na de oorlog, terug samenkomen op de familiale boerderij. Alhoewel, ging het hier wel om een vrije keuze? En is er soms niet meer aan de hand?
Het geheel is geweldig... het is donker en vanaf de eerste bladzijden voel je een onbestemde dreiging in alles, in elk woord, in elke daad... tot de finale ontknoping, die niets anders is dan de eerste stap voor een nieuw begin.
Deze novelle speelt zich af in het verleden, maar kan niet echt beschouwd worden als een historische roman. Het verhaal wordt afwisselend opgebouwd door alle betrokken personages die elk met een eigen stem spreken. Van die personages draait alles rond twee broers, Henrik en Erik, die tijdens de Russisch-Zweedse oorlog elk een verschillende kant gekozen hadden, Henrik voor Rusland en Erik voor Zweden, en nu, na de oorlog, terug samenkomen op de familiale boerderij. Alhoewel, ging het hier wel om een vrije keuze? En is er soms niet meer aan de hand?
Het geheel is geweldig... het is donker en vanaf de eerste bladzijden voel je een onbestemde dreiging in alles, in elk woord, in elke daad... tot de finale ontknoping, die niets anders is dan de eerste stap voor een nieuw begin.
February 13, 2023
This was another excellent book from Peirene Press. The book opens with the return of Henrik, one of two brothers living in rural Finland at the time of the Sweden-Russia war. Henrik and his younger brother Erik had fought on opposite sides during the war. It is told in short chapters from the point of view of the main characters - the two brothers, the Farmhand, Anna (Erik's wife), Mauri (their cousin and general dogsbody) and The Old Mistress (the brothers' mother).
The setting is cold and dark, and the chapters switch between the present day and memories of the past. There is an underlying tension between most of the characters, with secrets and misunderstandings all round. The tension builds slowly, although the story takes place over only a day or two, with an increase in pace right at the end.
This is a book that stayed with me for a long time after I finished reading it; despite the short length it packed a lot in.
The setting is cold and dark, and the chapters switch between the present day and memories of the past. There is an underlying tension between most of the characters, with secrets and misunderstandings all round. The tension builds slowly, although the story takes place over only a day or two, with an increase in pace right at the end.
This is a book that stayed with me for a long time after I finished reading it; despite the short length it packed a lot in.
February 28, 2024
Two brothers who fought on opposite sides in the Russo-Swedish war of 1808-09 return home to their farm In Finland to ‘fight’ for mastery in their own familial war. It’s a short and well written family drama with themes of sibling rivalry, sexual tension, and revenge, but It doesn’t make the most of its potential. An Ok read.
January 1, 2020
I enjoyed this novel, but think the cover blurb's description of it as "Shakespearean" is really unhelpful. Ignore this misleading comparison. It's an historical novel, but made more interesting than the usual family drama, by its multiple view points and often very beautiful writing.
June 26, 2020
Was gripped by this dark family drama set in Finland 1809, just after the war between Sweden and Russia. The structure, with the different narrators, adds a lot of depth as the story twists and turns in ways I didn't expect at all. The translation from Finnish is flawless.
May 13, 2017
it is difficult to describe this book. Told from multiple points of view that highlight the cracks in the family, the farm and its occupants. The writing is thick with tension.
June 28, 2018
Intensiivinen sukusaaga 120 sivussa. Ensimmäinen Asko Sahlbergini, mutta ei taatusti jää viimeiseksi.
September 21, 2018
Kept waiting for the east enders theme to kick in
March 21, 2019
Moody thrilled set in rural Finland, with a surprising twist,
August 14, 2019
A Finnish spin on a Cain and Abel story.
September 3, 2020
Meh. Struggled to finish. I love translated short fiction but this didn't resonate with me.
April 2, 2021
Something was definitely lost in translation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews