Istina je stilski poetičan i ekonomičan roman koji se bavi preslagivanjem obiteljskih odnosa, poljuljanim bolešću jednog člana. Obitelj čine otac, afirmirani slikar, majka, uspješna psihologinja i sveučilišna profesorica, kćer liječnica, njen tek ovlaš spomenuti suprug i hipersenzibilna unuka. Nakon što Elsa oboli od neizlječive bolesti, pomalo se počne razotkrivati obiteljska tajna o mladoj dadilji koja je šezdesetih godina brinula o djevojčici, ali i njenom ocu, tada muškarcu u najboljim godinama, pomalo zasjenjenim ambicioznom i manipulativnom suprugom. Unuka započinje potragu za davno izgubljenom djedovom ljubavnicom.
Riikka Pulkkinen was born in 1980 and spent her youth in Oulu, a town on Finland’s northwest coast, with her father (a lawyer), mother (a doctor), and two sisters. During that time, she was also a very talented athlete. Nowadays she studies literature and philosophy at the University of Helsinki, and does her jogging without a stopwatch.
The Border, Pulkkinen's first novel, was published in 2006 and got positive reviews and immediate sales success.
Her second novel, True, came out in 2010 and was shortlisted for the Finlandia Prize, the most prestigious literary award in Finland. The film rights of True have been sold to Vertigo Productions (Finland), and its adaptation for the stage premiered at Helsinki KOM Theatre in November 2011.
Pulkkinen’s third novel, The Book of Strangers, was published in September 2012.
The publishing rights for Pulkkinen’s novels have been sold to publishers all around the world. Current rights sold and published translations for each of her books can be viewed in the books section.