Magický průvodce městem pod pahorkem

by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen, Vladimír Piskoř (translator)

Toto je bez nadsázky kniha, jaká tu nikdy nebyla. Autor bestselleru Literární spolek Laury Sněžné přichází opět s návykovým koktejlem magického realismu, detektivky, hororu a fantasy, ale tentokrát jde ještě dál a nabízí čtenáři příběh, který s ním bude žít ještě dlouho po otočení poslední strany. Šéfredaktor Olli Suominen vede středně velké nakladatelství, zaměřeného na knížky pro děti a populárně naučnou literaturu. Jeho poklidný život, plný práce i rodinné rutiny, se změní, když si založí facebookový účet. Ozvou se mu totiž nejen kamarádi z dětství, ale i jeho první láska, nyní slavná spisovatelka, jež mu nabídne novou knihu - Magický průvodce městem. Citově okoralý Olli znovu zažívá probouzející se vášeň a posléze se ocitá před zásadním rozhodnutím. V době, kdy příprava rukopisu vrcholí a text se chystá do sazby, beze stopy zmizí jeho manželka a syn. Pouze na Ollim, bojujícím s vlastní amorálností a šrámy na duši, teď záleží, zda se rodina opět shledá. Šanci má jen jednu. Anebo?

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Finnish Literature, Magical Realism, Romance, LGBT, Speculative Fiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen is Finland’s best kept literary secret…

In the early 70’s, when he was five, Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen lived in a block of flats by the Jyväskylä’s (a city in Central Finland) old cemetery and believed in vampires.

In the early 80’s he still had vampire dreams and fell in love with Jeanne Moreau in Truffaut’s Jules et Jim.

Ten years later Pasi wrote his first short stories. He wan the writing competition of SciFi and fantasy stories four times and then decided to become a writer.

Now he is an author, but he is also a Finnish and literature teacher in upper secondary school and the father of three sons.

He hasn’t stopped loving vampires, Jeanne Moreau and old film classics.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

My reading point-of-no-return is fairly short; just a handful of pages, a chapter or two at most. So it's a rare occasion that I don't finish a book, particularly when I've invested so much time in it already. But this one is just not for me, and the idea of continuing makes my shoulders slump.

The premise sounded good, and the location unfamiliar enough to pique my curiosity, so at first I was happy to read along and see where it went. But I got sick of the umbrellas, I was confused about whether Olli was remembering, dreaming, fantasising or living his reality, and then when the plot really kicked into gear (around 50%) I just wanted to roll my eyes rather than jump on for the ride.

This was apparently a big hit in the author's native Finland, and to be fair to him I suspect there was quite a bit of humour and charm lost in translation. Ultimately I think I am not the intended demographic for this book.

[Mollyvknize · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tak tohle je teda jedno velký wtf! :D ale nemyslím to špatně, jen prostě až knihu dočtete, tak si nejspíš řeknete: "Co se to právě stalo?!" Vůbec jsem v průběhu knihy nečekala, co přichází a ačkoliv je to všechno tak strašně zvláštní, a určitě to není kniha pro každého, musím říct, že mě to bavilo a dokázala jsem se do toho začíst tak, že jsem knihu nechtěla odkládat. Na druhou stranu se mi asi Literární spolek Laury Sněžné (4*) líbil o něco víc, takže MPMPP bych dala tak 3,8. Jo a líbí se mi, jak se v každé knize daří držet nějakou knižní tématiku - literární spolek a teď nakladatelství. Opravdu snová záležitost a obě knihy ve mně vždycky vzbudí pocit, jako když jsem pod vodní hladinou a sleduju nějaký příběh...nedokážu to vysvětlit, prostě jen pocit :)

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I LOVED this. Such a welcome change, a beautifully written, atmospheric love story with a twist that genuinely captured my heart, especially it’s main protagonist Olli – who I engaged with entirely the moment he lost his first umbrella. I ALWAYS lose my umbrella’s..

It is kind of an ode to modern living told in a very old school way – a kind of loss of innocence, coming of age when you are an adult themed story with some incredibly wonderful characters and a really great story – I was hooked throughout. It is gentle and melancholy yet very uplifting.

Quirky and written with a cool stylistic vibe, I loved the cinematic aspects of it (and all the films from the film club that embed themselves into the narrative) and this is one of those reads that I will look back on and probably read again in those moments when I need a bit of an escape.

Randomly funny, ultimately quite dark, very very clever Secret Passages in a Hillside Town is a literary delight, a hidden gem and comes highly recommended from me. It IS quite a cinematic moment…

[Vít Kotačka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Přistupoval jsem k téhle knížce s opatrností - po spíše zklamání z Literárního spolku Laury Sněžné - ale byl jsem mile překvapen. Knížka, jako je tahle, je důvod, proč čtu beletrii - výborně napsaná, oko jen klouže po stránkách; výborně přeložená, kdy nic netahá za oko; napínavá, že člověk si ukrojí trochu spánku, aby mohl déle číst; a prostě zábavná.

I když je kniha rozložena do tří částí a závěru, v podstatě bych ji rozdělil jen na dvě části: velmi dlouhou expozici, skoro půlka knihy (až do únosu Aino) a zbytek, kdy se rozjede skutečná zápletka a pramínky příběhu (a jednotlivé časové roviny) se začnou stékat dohromady.

Vše pak spěje k finále, které má... dva konce. Kniha je totiž vytištěna ve dvou verzích a druhý konec si můžete přečíst na stránkách nakladatelství (odkaz je v knize). Jestli můžu doporučit, ovládněte svoji zvědavost a nečtěte ten druhý konec hned po dočtení knihy - raději ji nechte pár dní doznít a pak se k němu vraťte.

Když se vrátím ke dvoum částem, které jsem výše načrtnul. Hodně jsem se mi líbila ta první, kde se nic moc neděje. Chápu, že budou mnozí čtenáři, který to budou považovat za slabší část, ale já jsem si opravdu užíval, jak současnost, kdy Olli ztrácel kvanta deštníků, měl svoje podivné sny a jinak žil úctyhodným životem; tak jeho prázdninové dětství, které trávil s Tourulskou pětkou.

Druhá část knihy je ta, která vás zavede do Finského podivna. Ale nečekejte žádný magický realismus ve stylu Márqueze. Tohle je takové decentní. Vlastně jsou takovým aspektem asi jen Jyväskylské tajné chodby.

Jediným prvkem, kerý bych příběhu vytknul, je v samotném závěru. Pasáž, kdy dojde k "velkému odhalení", tedy část, kdy Karri vysvětluje, jak to bylo s Kerrtu, mi přijde nadbytečná a nelogická v happy-endovém konci knihy a naopak, dává smysl jen v tom tragické konci.

Tak, už jsem to prokec. Jeden konec je šťastný, druhý tragický. Jenže ono je to jako s tím Finským podivnem - není to, co se zdá. Tudíž "můj" šťastný konec může někdo považovat za tragický a naopak.

Takže závěrem? Tahle kniha byla můj šálek kávy. Už se těším na příští Jääskeläinenovu knížku, snad něco brzy vyjde.

------------

Recenze Literární spolek Laury Sněžné ★★★
Recenze Den falešné kočky ★★★★

[Toolshed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jedna z najlepších kníh, aké som za dlhú dobu prečítal.

Podobne ako Laura Sněžná je príliš obsiahla na to, aby som ju dokázal patrične popísať (a to napriek neveľkému rozsahu) a zážitok z nej príliš prchavý na to, aby som ho dokázal patrične zachytiť. Jääskeläinen dokáže na ploche priemerného románu rozohrať toľko motívov, obrazov a dejových prvkov, že si viem pokojne predstaviť, ako podobný materiál niektorí menej zruční autori rozpisujú na viac kníh. Fascinujúce, absolútne ohromujúce klbko pocitov, vnemov a dojmov.

Príbeh, ktorý začína absolútne nenápadne a postupne na seba nabaľuje drobné náznaky toho, že realita je tu opäť po vzore fínskeho podivna mierne naklonená. Román, ktorý sa cez na prvý pohľad jednoduchú, ale vo svojej podstate nezvyčajne komplikovanú a mimoriadne účinnú metaforiku a obraznosť vyjadruje k tým najzákladnejším otázkam našej existencie. Čo dáva nášmu životu zmysel? Má sám osebe inherentnú hodnotu, alebo mu ju vštepujeme až sami? Ako funguje ľudská pamäť? Nadviažeme ešte niekedy v živote putá, ktoré budú rovnako silné ako tie, ktoré sme nadviazali v detstve? Sú tie najdesivejšie tajomstvá niekedy naozaj pochované? Jestvuje vôbec človek, ktorého identita je jednoznačne sformovaná a nezvádza vnútorný boj medzi viacerými zložkami osobnosti?

Tieto a mnohé ďalšie otázky si autor prostredníctvom románu akoby mimochodom kladie a medzi riadkami na ne dokonca často poskytuje aj odpovede. V porovnaní s Laurou Sněžnou sa mi zdal tento román o čosi menej "nevysvetlený", to však nie je dôvod, prečo ho radím ešte vyššie. Dôvodom je emocionálny dopad, ktorý bol v tomto prípade (hlavne v záverečnej časti) skutočne zdrvujúci.

A nad to všetko sa na čitateľa uškŕňa Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen, ktorý sa pohráva s jeho psychikou ešte viac ako so psychikou svojich postáv a je schopný mu dopriať ten najdojímavejší, takmer "filmový" čitateľský zážitok, aby ho vzápätí strhol naspäť na zem a doprial mu menšiu dávku sebairónie s odhalením, že všetko je vlastne trochu inak. So zhovievavým úsmevom tak dáva najavo, že jeho postavy (a možno aj samotní čitatelia) sú občas odhodlaní urobiť všetko preto, len aby unikli obávanej "pozvoľnej zotrvačnosti".

[Abigail F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book and immediately said aloud, "Wow. What did I just read?" I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like this book, and I love Jääskeläinen's The Rabbit Back Literature Society. I've read that one twice, and marked it up, and recommend it to everyone I know. I'm not sure I love Secret Passages in a Hillside Town, but parts of it were very beautiful and thought-provoking. The first 100 or so pages were written so humorously. I laughed out loud at Jääskeläinen's humor. But, ultimately, it was almost too strange for me, despite the fact that it had arguably less magic and strangeness than Rabbit Back.

Here's what I found fascinating: I loved the way that Facebook/social media plays such a key role in the plot, together with the idea of a "cinematic life." Jääskeläinen never explicitly connects the two, but the connection is there, nevertheless. Are we our "cinematic" selves on social media? Do we present a fiction to the world? ARE our social media profiles fiction? Because then the question becomes, is the "cinematic life" necessarily less authentic or 'real'? I'm not sure Jääskeläinen would say it is. Ideas of truth and reality blur in this novel. In a similar vein, I also love the way that Jääskeläinen writes dreams, with their mix of things we see and feel everyday, but their disconnectedness. He captures they way they seem to make sense as we are experiencing them, but when we recall them awake, they seem absurd.

I found that the book dragged a bit between pages 100 and 190, though the payoff of those pages is worth it. Still, I couldn't get a grasp on why I should care about Olli Suominen or his family. The book calls that out at one point, as Olli realizes that the outcome of the little drama he's playing actually doesn't matter much in the scheme of things, as no one will remember it in a hundred or two hundred years. That's another thing I like about the book -- its self-realization (if that's a thing books can have). It is written as if it were going to be adapted to a movie any moment, because it's about behaving cinematically. But it also recognizes that narratives are consumed and forgotten. That movies (and novels, I suppose) are escapes from real life who very rarely have stakes beyond themselves.

Unlike with Rabbit Back, I called several of the major plot twists long before they were made explicit. I think most people guessed that Karri was (sort of) Greta once she appeared in the secret passages and Karri disappeared, but given the dreamlike quality of the events in the secret passages and the weirdness of Jääskeläinen's plot, perhaps not everyone realized it. I then spent some time feeling that Jääskeläinen was writing a not-very-nice portrayal of a trans person, and wished Greta would not feel that she was "made for Olli," but instead that Karri could accept that she wanted to be Greta, and that that was okay.

The reveal of Karri/Greta's hermaphroditism was surprising to me, but I liked it. It made the spaces that Karri/Greta occupied in society less concrete; the language society is 'supposed' to use surrounding sex, sexuality, and gender isn't there for hermaphroditism in the same way as it is for homosexuality or transsexuality. There was a line, when Greta and Olli are talking before this reveal, that said, "It's remarkably difficult to ask questions if they don't seem to belong to the built-in script of an encounter." I think this line resonated throughout the narrative -- Karri/Greta doesn't belong to society's built-in script. She/he/they are a difficult question for most people who see everything as binary, instead of spectrums.

However, because of the existence Karri's Facebook profile, I realized very, very early on that Karri was working with the Blomrooses (or, well, Anne). When Olli wonders how the Blomrooses know Greta's movements, but concludes that Greta isn't working for them, I immediately thought, "No, but Karri is. Karri is still in Greta, subliminated to the point she doesn't realize, and he's pulling the strings." So, the reveal of Karri at the end wasn't particularly shocking for me. Nor was the fact that Greta wasn't really dying. I thought, "How convenient that she gets sick. It's almost like Anne knew this would happen before the first snow. I wonder if it's part of the 'cinematicness' of this."

But, I also appreciated that when Karri returns (no matter which version of the ending you read), he explains that he was made for Aunt Anna, and Greta was made for Olli, but that he/she/they is still discovering his/herself. That there is another being that will be made for who they really are (perhaps). It made me feel less uncomfortable with the portrayal of a person who shifted from presenting as male to female. Because, the narrative reveals that Karri/Greta is/has a third space altogether -- this isn't simply the story of a boy who wanted to be a girl, but only "for Olli." Instead, Greta and Karri are BOTH constructs -- but are they less authentic? Is there a greater 'truth' or 'self' beneath them? Karri/Greta, this person isn't part of the "built-in script."

I also liked that this wasn't a story of multiple-personality disorder or mental illness, per se, but rather the ways in which society has spaces that are unexplored and "uncommunicatable", that are -- as the title suggests -- secret passages. That the brain has unexplored spaces, too, and that the limited "script" of society can cause the mind to retreat into those spaces in an effort to go "on-script," sometimes with disastrous, or twisted consequences. The take-away of the novel isn't that Karri/Greta is crazy, but that there was no space for Karri/Greta or who they really truly are (if anyone can be truly themselves) so they worked with what they had. Interestingly, only Karri/Greta could find the secret passages -- the others followed him/her/them.

Perhaps the take-away was also that Anne Blomroos -- seemingly right on society's script with her sexuality and gender presentation, her money and summer houses -- was actually the sociopathic one. You can conform on the outside, but underneath it have these dark, deadly secret passageways in your soul. Your Facebook profile can be immaculate, but you can have secrets.

There's a lot here to think about, obviously. About truth, and authenticity, and how those aren't the same things. About how we are all on a script, but we can all go off-script, sometimes in surprising ways. About how going off-script is often going onto another kind of script -- that some spaces are so secret we can't find them or say them at all. I haven't even gotten to the fact that there are two endings; apparently, in Finland different versions of the novel were published and you got whatever ending you got. In the English translation, both endings are included.

Also, major props to Lola Rogers as translator. She's incredible. While a lot of credit goes to the author for his ideas, without a good translator this could fall completely flat. Her writing is just as spellbinding as Jääskeläinen's. I loved her work with Rabbit Back, and she hit it out of the park with this translation, too.

This book seems to defy a star rating, but I'm going to go ahead and give it four. I didn't love this book. Perhaps that's because it's not on-script. But it made me think and the more I muse on it the more I appreciate it. I've never read anything like it before, and doubt I will find anything like it again for a very, very long time.

[Ef Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so epic!
Věděla jsem, že Jääskeläinen nezklame.
V poslední době se setkávám jak s knihami, ve kterých je obsažena další kniha (nevím, asi hit poslední sezóny?!), tak i s těmi, při jejichž čtení si říkám WTF?! (ale ne nutně v negativním významu).
Najdete tam všechno - thriller, porno, lásku, divné a magické věci, ... Moc jsem teda nemusela ty chodbičky a na začátku i Tourulskou pětku.
A ano, má to dva konce a bohužel ani v jednom to neskončí tak, jak jsem si představovala, nicméně po dočtení se nějak nemůžu probrat do reality a asi mám nějakou knižní kocovinu nebo jak se ten stav (kdy máte po dočtení pocit "What? My life is over. What I'm supposed to do now.") jmenuje - což je jednoznačně dobré znamení pro boží knihu.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Sněžná byla parádní kniha, takže na Průvodce jsem se těšila velice. A která kniha se může chlubit tím, že se vydává s dvěma různými konci? To si prostě musíte přečíst. Jenže jsem ji skoro odložila, protože do zhruba 130. strany bylo čtení velikánská nuda. Fakt. Jen popisy zmatených snů a chodím do práce/zapomínám všude deštníky/s manželkou mi to neklape. Nicméně, pak se začalo něco zajímavého dít. Detektivní a lehce magický nádech mě donutil číst dál.
Nakonec to vůbec nebylo špatné, ale že by se jednalo o nějaké wow čtení, to taky říct nemůžu. Laura překonána nebyla.
Spíše 3 a půl hvězdičky.

[Kirja Vieköön! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mahtavasti kehitelty filosofia tarinan taustalla - elokuvallinen elämäntapa kaikkine yksityiskohtineen. Hullutteleva ja mielikuvituksellinen! Voi että tykkäsin.

[Quanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

No. Nevím. Konec nebyl špatný (tedy ten první konec) a cinematičnost je docela slušný koncept k přemýšlení, ale stejně se mi Laura Sněžná líbila víc, tohle je už trochu moc psycho.

[Alkisti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Olli Suominen, resident of Jyväskylä, has a wife and son, a job as a book publisher, new found pastimes such as movie clubs and old habits like losing umbrellas. When he is reunited with his childhood love he begins to explore and rediscover his town following the descriptions and guidelines of the magical city guide she is writing. At the same time, he begins to re-evaluate himself, his life, and to delve into memories long forgotten.

If the reader expects to engage in a romantic story of growing up, fidelity and personal journeys, s/he is definitely up for a surprise. The story has a twist (even if expected from a point on) that takes it in a very different path than the one it was originally hinting at.

The book within the book, the Cinematic Guide, interferes with the original story quite a lot. At times they blend in a way that it almost feels like the author is more of a director and screenwriter himself, moving around his characters at will.
This notion of "cinematicness" is obtrusive throughout the book. Besides the writing style itself, the frequent movie quotes and allusions become tiresome after a while.
The story takes place across three different worlds: reality, the past and dreams. Even though most of the times they intertwine seamlessly, at others the joints are harsh, confusing the reader who is unsure how to interpret what s/he is reading. The use of tenses stroke rather peculiarly - the author chose to use past tense for the real-time action, and present tense for the flashbacks. The oddness of this makes one think that it is, indeed, done on purpose exactly to accentuate the quirkiness of the writing.

The idea of the secret passages with the accompanying particles and the distortion of reality, had a rather David Mitchell-ian odor to it. However, this aspect was not adequately elaborated or developed. Perhaps if it were done better, it would be able to add more to the story and not feel fragmentary.

With the exception of the first few chapters that consisted of many short (many a times disconnected) paragraphs that jumped from one point to the other and did not help the reader get acquainted with the book's universe, the rest of it was easy to get through and read effortlessly.

**I received a free electronic copy from Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.**

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olli Suominen is going through a midlife crisis. He's distancing himself from his family, joining Facebook, joining film clubs, and joining people around the world as they search for ways to make their lives more cinematic. The more he becomes dissatisfied with his current life, the more he is drawn to his childhood love Greta, who has suddenly turned up with a book she wants him to publish. However, revisiting his past means dealing with memories and secrets he might not be ready to confront yet.

I admit that I saw a few of those secrets coming, though that did not diminish my enjoyment of the story as a whole. It starts slowly with Olli's midlife crisis, but soon it becomes clearer and clearer that he's going to be forced to confront something that's been buried from his childhood summers with the Blomrooses and their cousin Karri. The story continues to pick up in pacing and interest as Ollie becomes drawn further into the Bloomrooses' game. The themes of cinematic living are reflected in their plot, living in ways that reflect life and drama. At the same time, there's an underlying tone of darkness in this falsity. The twistedness leads to two different endings, which make it even more engaging.

[Táňa Vrabcová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jedea obrovská knižná paráda! Od začiatku do konca skvelý príbeh, krásne postavy, ani neviem čo viac napísať, prečítajte si to.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years back I had read Jääskeläinen’s The Rabbit Back Literature Society. That novel had been compared to “Twin Peaks meeting the Brothers Grimm” and was a dark and cryptic work which hovered rather awkwardly between outright supernatural fiction and magical realism. I had found this ‘ambivalence’ ultimately disappointing, but the novel was intriguing enough to make me want to sample the author’s latest offering, recently translated into English by Lola Rogers.

In its initial chapters, this novel seemed quite different from its predecessor, apart from its small-town setting and “bookish” background. Indeed, it starts off as a gentle, if quirky, tale of mid-life romance. Olli Suominen, the head of a publishing company based in Jyväskylä, is going through a crisis. Book sales are not what they used to be and, as far as family-life is concerned, he seems to be growing distant from his wife and young son. Through Facebook, he gets in touch with Greta Kara, an old flame who has since become the bestselling author of an influential self-help guide to “living a cinematic life”. He somehow convinces her to issue her next book – a ‘magical’ travelogue about Jyväskylä – through his publishing house. This promises to boost Olli’s business, and amorous, prospects.

But Olli’s Facebook exchanges with Greta also rekindle memories of another group of childhood acquaintances – the three Blomroos siblings and their cousin Karri. Together with Timi, Olli’s dog, they formed a Finnish equivalent of the Famous Five. In true Enid Blyton fashion, they spent their summer holidays together, shared long, glorious, sunny days on riverside picnics and solved mysteries along the way. Typically, they also explored secret passages. And here things start to get weird, because unlike the relatively workaday secret passages in Blyton’s novels, the Toulura tunnels seem to warp reality and cause time to go completely off-kilter. Unsurprisingly, Olli’s memories of the secret passages are vague and confused, but we eventually learn that they were the theatre for shocking happenings experienced by Greta and the Tourula Five.

Whether you will enjoy the novel from this point forward will depend on how crazy you like your fiction to be. In my case, I generally prefer novels which follow an internal logic, however strange their premise. And to be honest, it was sometimes difficult to understand where this book was going . But it still hooked me to the last chapter. Or chapters, given that the novel rather puzzlingly presents us with an alternative ending – probably a nod to “alternate movie endings” which are sometimes available on certain movie DVDs.

So, how should we interpret Secret Passages? Should we take it at face value as a work of supernatural fiction? Or is this actually realist fiction, using elements of fantasy to give us a glimpse of the workings of Olli’s mind? Is the book a satire on modern life which, thanks to social media, seems to be all about living a “cinematic life” worth sharing with the world at large? Or is this an adult parody of Enid Blyton mysteries, particularly the underlying gender politics simmering below their surface? Perhaps it’s all of this, but it makes for a wild and crazy ride.

[Thebooktrail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visit The locations in the novel - Finland

I like this but it’s quite an odd and quirky read. Olli works in publishing and he along with Greta, an old flame, is about to publish some cinematic guides to the local area and cities around the world. What cities have that cinematic quality and what exactly does that entail? Well there’s lots of snippets from the guides to help you explore the sights for real.

That is setting number one but setting number two is quite different and a lot darker. It’s the secret tunnels under the town where they live in Finland. Something happened one night under these tunnels and the truth of that is only starting to come out now.

The writing has a very particular style to it- as if someone is narrating the characters on stage and even controlling them and the sentences are sharp and short and have a child’s simplicity to them which helps form the overall feeling of a old film playing out with watercolour, flickering characters and snowy settings.

It all gets a bit weird towards the end when the secrets come tumbling out and I wanted to shake some sense into Olli. This is a man who loves publishing though so I couldn’t stay confused at him for long.

Overall, a good read with a definite style of its own.

[Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this for shallow reasons - the author’s name had lots of umlauts (three), the book had a nice cover (acqua, white and gold) and it was a new acquisition to my local library (it’s status announced by a slightly cheesy ‘we haven’t met before’ bookmark popped into the book by staff). Although the setting is a bland Finnish town, everything is deliberately off-beam - a bit like the home of the main character, Olli, where the floor and walls slope almost imperceptibly. It had moments I enjoyed - an exasperated conversation in the small, struggling publishing house where Olli works comes to mind, where a character bitterly complains of the book-buying public’s poor taste. ‘But we should take advantage of it,’ says Olli’s colleague. ‘And people have a right to their bad taste - it’s probably mentioned in the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights’. I have a track record of enjoying books set in Finland. But despite moments of pleasure, this was a book I did not Finnish.

[Jaana V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toinen Jääskeläiseni. Kenties siksi minulla oli jo jonkinlainen aavistus kirjoittajan ja tarinan tyylistä, joten juoneen oli helpompi solahtaa ja sietää erityisesti sitä, että mysteerit ratkeavat (jos ratkeavat) vasta myöhäisessä vaiheessa tarinaa. Sen enempää juonta paljastamatta: varsin hätkähdyttäviä tapahtumia! Jännite piti loppuun asti ja romaanin rakentuminen kahdelle vaihtoehtoiselle lopulle ( toinen on vielä lukematta) on kieltämättä mielenkiintoinen ratkaisu.

Kiintoisa oli myös se kirja kirjan sisällä, tämä "Elokuvallinen elämänopas", joka kulkee juonenkäänteissä mukana. Jääskeläinen on kyllä aika vekkuli! Tällainen maaginen realismi ei edelleenkään ole minulle ihan se kaikista omin alue, mutta lukukokemuksena kiinnostava, erilainen.

[Janette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is probably the strangest book I’ve ever read. It started out as a cute and darkly quirky story of a man who loses umbrellas, has weird dreams and makes a Facebook profile. Second half of the book was extremely violent and disturbing. Very triggering stuff including torture of an intersex person. The overall tone of the book was a bit creepy, but the passages noted above were way over the top and the way the intersex person was described and presented was problematic. I wish there was more discussion of this book so I could understand the author’s intent. Maybe the translation (from Finnish) was off?

[Julie Parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I first wanted to read this book because of the colorful cover.
Then I read the first sentence:

Publisher Olli Suominen spent the rainy days if autumn buying umbrellas and forgetting them all around Jyvaskyla. He also accidentally joined a film club.

and was ready to plunge in as soon as possible.

I liked it a lot, even though it's not my usual kind of book.

Spending time between the pages of this story was like living through a dark and wet winter in Finland.

[A. S.]

DNF at 25%

[Szeee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hát ilyet...! Zseniális, agyament agymenés, jelentőségrészecskékkel teli. Határozottan nem kontinuitásorientált, de annál cinematikusabb :D

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

vubec nevim, co si o knize myslet, ale asi 3,5*, protoze byla lepsi nez prumer.. minimalne co se originality tyka.. balancovani mezi realitou a magickym svetem,moc jsem to nezkoumala, spis pozorovala, myslim, ze u knih tohohle typu ctenari ani nic jineho nezbyva - jen se nechat unaset pribehem a nezucastnene sledovat, kde se vyloupne

[Charlotte Burt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book got stranger and stranger as it progressed. Interesting read though
The is a very strange book and a difficult one to review. The narrative is almost split into thirds. The first seems fairly normal and enjoyable exploration of life in a Finnish city. It is very much grounded in the place and time. Olli loses umbrellas, joins a film club and discovers that his old flame, Greta is the writer of a book that has become a Finnish sensation.

A Guide to the Cinematic Life is a book which encourages those that read it to live in a more cinematic way. There is talk about M-particles which are prevalent in magical places, and it is mentioned throughout the book but never really explained.

Olli’s film club seem to specialise in watching black and white classic movies which is stylistically where the Guide to the Cinematic Life is directing people towards. Smoking is encouraged, stolen kisses and artful deaths are all within the remit.

The second third gets odder and more surreal where Olli “remembers” and relives his childhood with kids he used to play with during his summer holidays and most importantly the secret passages. The third part just goes over the edge into just plain weird.

At its heart, this is a love story between Olli and Greta who are forced together by forces outside their control. Olli is the only character in this book who seems like a real person, all the others seem to be two-dimensional stereotypes.

The pacing was slow, and the endless dream sequences started to become a bit boring. This book has taken me months to read, and I kept on hoping that it would get better, but if anything it got worse as it went on.

This book was really well received in Finnish so maybe some of the dark comedy that is supposed to be part of this book has been lost in translation as I really didn’t get the joke.

[Han_na · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jos ei mitään muuta, niin ainakin tämän teoksen luettuani katselen Jyväskylää täysin uusin silmin ja palaan kaupunkiin syksyllä kaikki aistit terävämpinä. Ajatus oman elämän elokuvallistamisesta kiehtoo myös - ajatus sinällään tuskin oli uusi, mutta ironisoi mukavasti nykyajan elämäntapaoppaita, jos sen ironiana uskalsi lukea. Loppujen lopuksi tekisi samaan aikaan mieleni hehkuttaa ja antaa tälle teokselle kaikki annettavissa olevat viisi tähteä, mutta kuitenkin takaraivossa takoo sellaisia kysymyksiä kuin: "oliko tässä vähän liikaa tavaraa?", "mentiikö tässä nyt jossain kohdissa siitä missä aita on matalin?", "oliko kaiken tämän kertominen ihan oikeasti tarpeellista?" ja "mikä symbolinen syvätaso minulta ehkä jäi huomaamatta?". Lisäksi teoksen (minulle sattunut) loppuhuipennus meinasi nyrjäyttää minut sijoiltani - ei se, etten olisi ymmärtänyt kaikkea vaan se, kuinka yhtä ihmisyksilöä tunnuttiin käyttävän kahden ihmisen unelmien toeuttamiseen ilman, että tällä olisi ollut suuremmin sananvaltaa. Kuka käytti hyväkseen ja ketä, se jääkin sitten ratkaisematta.

Reaalifantasia on vanhaan kunnon rehelliseen fantasiaan verrattuna siitä vaikea genre, että perinteisemmässä fantasiakirjallisuudessa teoksen fantasiamiljöön myöntävät kaikki teoksen hahmot; koko yhteiskunta rakentuu fantasian varaan, kun taas reaalifantasian fantasia tuntuu perustuvan usein yksilötason elämyksiin. Jos yksilö, jonka kautta fantasiamaailmaa peilataan ja koetaan, ei tunnu omalta tai samaistumisen arvoiselta, vaihtaminen toisen henkilöhahmon näkökulmaan ei niin vain onnistu. Lisäksi fantasiataso tuntuu tällöin usein vain yksilön henkilökohtaiselta houretasolta, jolle lukija joko pääsee tai sitten ei, riippuen siitä antaako itsensä päästä. Anyway, osui ja upposi ainakin minuun - tosin ilman tunnesidettä Jyväskylään ei ehkä olisi uponnut näin syvästi.

[Bosorka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I přes pozvolný začátek mě tahle knížka okamžitě pohltila. Asi pro autorův styl, takový zvláštně pomalu tekoucí, ale přitom libě šumící jako horský potok. Jääskeläinen píše lehce a vábivě, jeho věty i slova jsou jakoby zaoblená, jednoduše se kutálející do čtenářovy mysli. Navíc posléze kuličky přibývají a kuličkodráhou začnou probíhat rychleji, noří se po povrch, podobně jako hlavní dětská pětice do tajných podzemních chodeb v městě pod pahorkem. Příběh pak už rychle spěje až ke konci a jaký ten konec bude, je napínavější o to, že existují dokonce dva. Který je ten lepší? Toť otázka, možná ten, který člověk četl jako první. U mě to tak aspoň bylo.

[Sorrow (Hanka the bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jojojo, tohohle víc, prosím! Ta knížka je kombinací snad všeho, co si jen lze představit. Ze začátku jsem sice byla trochu otrávená jistou rozvláčností a říkala jsem si, že ze sebe autor vydal to nejlepší už v Lauře, ale to jsem se tedy pěkně spletla. Vůbec jsem netušila, jakým se kniha ubere směrem a jaké nakonec nabere grády :)
Jsem nadšená i tím, že vlastním vydání se slovem Facebook na konci neb je pro mě mnohem magičtější, ne vše je dovyřčeno. Druhý konec se ke knize podle mého moc nehodí a je příliš definitivní :)
Tohle moc doporučuji, ale jen těm, kdo mají rádi magický realismus, finské podivno a nevšední autorovy hříčky, kterých je kniha plná :)

[Mijazmija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jako první jsem četla Literární spolek, který se mi od začátku dokonce četl jedna báseň. U této knihy jsem se občas "sekla" na filozofických pasážích, které jsou sice úžasně napsané, ale ve srovnání s ostatním textem pro mne byly těžkopádné. To ale knize a příběhu neubírá na kvalitě! Je méně pohádková ve srovnání s předchozí knihou (to mne zklamalo), nicméně na tématu lásky v tomto podání jsem si už dlouho takhle "nezgustla". Je jiná, je podivná, dokonale napsaná. Literární perla♡

[Klára Eliášová · Rating 1 out of 5]

Takhle si představuju knihu napsanou na halucinogenech. Magické tajné podzemní chodby, obsese deštníky, céčková lovestory s dialogy jak od Steelové, hermafroditi, hermafroditi, hermafroditi, dětská dobrodružství, filmové geekovství, násilí, pomsty, bizár - všechno tam bylo. A stejně mě to neskutečně nudilo.

[Alisea Thenea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tato kniha je prosto zazitok a ma dva konce. Seversky magicky realizmus, fantasy a thriller v jednom. Napínava, nepredvídatelna a uprsana. Moze byt:)

[Tereza Eliášová · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je to skvělý čtení, finské podivno v plné kráse. Jen do tajemnosti Laury Sněžné tomu malý kousek scházel. Víc tady: http://bit.ly/Letopodzim