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Backlight
'A Finnish masterpiece of autofiction... Saisio's Helsinki trilogy is a dreamy, complex and therefore so very human portrait of the formation of a great artist ' Financial Times
A riveting, funny coming-of-age the second volume in Pirkko Saisio's award-winning Helsinki trilogy
Teenaged Pirkko can’t decide which she hates 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. It'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.
As 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, Backlight is the second volume in Pirkko Saisio's award-winning Helsinki trilogy.
A riveting, funny coming-of-age the second volume in Pirkko Saisio's award-winning Helsinki trilogy
Teenaged Pirkko can’t decide which she hates 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. It'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.
As 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, Backlight is the second volume in Pirkko Saisio's award-winning Helsinki trilogy.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2026
About the author
Pirkko Saisio
41 books106 followersSee also Saisio's pseudonyms: Jukka Larsson, Eva Wein
Pirkko Saisio (s. 16. huhtikuuta 1949 Helsinki) on suomalainen kirjailija, näyttelijä ja ohjaaja. Hän on kirjoittanut myös salanimillä Jukka Larsson ja Eva Wein. Saisiolla on laaja kirjallinen tuotanto, joka romaanien ja näytelmien ohella käsittää monenlaisia tekstejä elokuvakäsikirjoituksista aina balettilibretoihin asti. Saisio on kirjoittanut näytelmiä niin teatteriin kuin televisioonkin, ja lisäksi hän ohjaa ja näyttelee itsekin. Saisio suoritti Suomen Teatterikoulun näyttelijän tutkinnon 1975 ja toimi Teatterikorkeakoulun dramaturgian professorina 1997–2002.
Pirkko Saisio (s. 16. huhtikuuta 1949 Helsinki) on suomalainen kirjailija, näyttelijä ja ohjaaja. Hän on kirjoittanut myös salanimillä Jukka Larsson ja Eva Wein. Saisiolla on laaja kirjallinen tuotanto, joka romaanien ja näytelmien ohella käsittää monenlaisia tekstejä elokuvakäsikirjoituksista aina balettilibretoihin asti. Saisio on kirjoittanut näytelmiä niin teatteriin kuin televisioonkin, ja lisäksi hän ohjaa ja näyttelee itsekin. Saisio suoritti Suomen Teatterikoulun näyttelijän tutkinnon 1975 ja toimi Teatterikorkeakoulun dramaturgian professorina 1997–2002.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 16, 2026
"The moon shines into the room and onto her as she sits in the middle of the floor crying with rage, though she doesn't know why."
- Points to me for being the first written review of this on goodreads I guess??? I just saw it in waterstones randomly and thought it looked interesting shrug
- A beautifully lyrical coming of age book about a young finnish lesbian working in a sound of music style environment, grappling with gender, god, sexuality, parents and a lot of marx- what more could you want? Also a translation from the finnish, which I've been trying to get more into :)
- Love when young female protagonists get to feel primal rage actually
- Although I really admire the lyricism, sometimes I'm not in the mood for unscrambling lines that go over pages I am LAZY. There's a lot going on and it can feel dense- I think I'll need to re-read some of it to fully understand.
- BUT lots of it was very poignant. I think this captures the loneliness/confusion element of figuring yourself out while dealing with the horrors of being a teenager well. Overall a pretty meditative read and I'm glad I picked it up
- Points to me for being the first written review of this on goodreads I guess??? I just saw it in waterstones randomly and thought it looked interesting shrug
- A beautifully lyrical coming of age book about a young finnish lesbian working in a sound of music style environment, grappling with gender, god, sexuality, parents and a lot of marx- what more could you want? Also a translation from the finnish, which I've been trying to get more into :)
- Love when young female protagonists get to feel primal rage actually
- Although I really admire the lyricism, sometimes I'm not in the mood for unscrambling lines that go over pages I am LAZY. There's a lot going on and it can feel dense- I think I'll need to re-read some of it to fully understand.
- BUT lots of it was very poignant. I think this captures the loneliness/confusion element of figuring yourself out while dealing with the horrors of being a teenager well. Overall a pretty meditative read and I'm glad I picked it up
Displaying 1 of 1 review