"Not Before Sundown" by Johanna Sinisalo

Finland, Winter, Trolls, Gay men, and pheromones.   Those are the bare bones of this intriguing piece of Northern Noir.

Out after a quite a few drinks Mikael (nicknamed “Angel” for his Angelic good looks) comes face-to-face with a group of yobs who are busy terrorising his block of flats.   Braced by the booze and being fed up with their past homophobic taunts, Angel manages to intimidate them just enough so they back down and bugger off.  We do not have to wait long before we meet the near lifeless “monster” of the story.  A small but elegant creature, the young animal is severely unwell and injured.   No bigger than a cat, and lying injured in a bin, Angel cannot help himself as he spirits the creature away into his flat.   Nor can he ignore the interesting scent that seems to linger around his new guest.

What follows is literally the developing story put alongside bits of historical research, folklore, and myth that Angel takes looks up and  as he tries to first identify and then help his new little friend.  What he finds very quickly is that this little creature is a Felipithecus Trollis- a cat-ape.  A Troll.  Not the little cute-little pencil top trolls of our youth, mind you, but rather a sweet and musky mystical creature that is the stuff of legend in Finnish folklore.   

In the background of the story, we can feel the cold of Finland. We are also treated first-hand to local legends and beliefs embedded in the culture. They are interwoven, somewhat interesting, between each small chapter of the book.   Often taking up less than a page, this novel becomes a very quick read.

Angel begins to use his masculine wiles in an attempt to help this new “pet”, whom he has affectionately nick-named  “Pessi”.    In particular, he uses his charms on a former boyfriend, and veterinarian, whom we come to know as” Dr. Spiderman” to help Pessi find his feet again.

After months of work, finally Pessi is feeling better and life begins to turn normal.   While Pessi is a feral creature, he has seemingly adopted Angel as an alpha male.   We watch as they develop a bond and find a pattern of life that works for them.    Angel also begins to notice his libido pick up a bit- while at the same time smelling the not wholly unpleasant scent of Pessi : a mix of  Juniper Berrries with a bit of Calvin Klein.    At one point this motivated me to go to my own kitchen and actually opened the jar our juniper berries to take in a reminder of the scent.

In the meantime, Angel continues with his career as a photographer, and with his social life as a bit of a shy Romeo on the local scene.    Things have become easier for Angel in both love and lust, and suddenly people appear to be giving themselves over to him in a way that he had never experienced before.   A friend, colleague, and romantic interest comes back into the frame and asks Angel to do a job for him.  He needs something spectacular for a new client, some visuals that will cause a stir in the advertising world.

In this new heightened state of raw sensuality and sexuality, Angel is inspired to create a photo series that truly sets his new clients apart from the pack.   Flush from this success, life begins to come to him and his flat in a way that he never contended with before.  This new attention also threatens his biggest secret- our little Pessi.

Things do not end in quite the order or manner that I expected.     As I like my thrillers to do what they say on the tin- I was well pleased.

Was it the best book I have read?   No, not by far.   It was, however, a quick and surprisingly atmospheric read.   It was also just a little shocking in some parts.    The highest compliment that I can pay the book is that it left me  satisfied, but also gave me the gift of being just open-ended enough to give me a bit of a DIY-ending.  

                                                       

Comments

[Carl V.]

A satisfying feeling at the end is indeed the highest compliment one can pay a book. Odd cover, doesn't surprise me that the story has its oddities. Sounds different than anything I've read before and so I can see why you were intrigued enough to pick it up and keep reading. Another great review.

[Bear]

I agree, the cover of the English edition was a bit at odds with the content! It is, however, an intriguing and quick read. Thanks for stopping by!

[Kaizerin]

Oh, how interesting! Especially as the "monster" in the tale isn't an adversary to the hero.

I love books that do the "look what I found out when I was researching this book" bit well--I always imaging the author found more than s/he could reasonably work into the narrative, but can't bear to leave any of it out.

How are you enjoying your first RIP? Fun, isn't it?

[Bear]

Kaizerin- I am thrilled to be participating in R.I.P.! I wish that I had followed your lead years ago on this. We share the same love of Autumn, and the mood is just right for my favourite genres!

More than reading and writing reviews, I am having more fun reading the blogs of others. I have been introduced to some new authors that I may have otherwise not encountered. I have also found more that a few high quality blogs that I want to keep following well after the challenge is complete.

The other aspect that I enjoy about The Challenge is that bookshoppes have for years been slowly shying away form a specific "Horror" section, which I think is not always for the better. It takes out the random chance that I used to enjoy while browsing for something new. In many ways, this challenge goes a long way to filling that gap for me.

Thanks for stopping by- and for turning me on to this interesting and exciting new world!