Presenter, journalist and author Christine Westermann loves books. Here she presents her new discoveries every two weeks. This week it’s about the novel “Arctic Mirage” by Terhi Kokkonnen.
Everyone happy and cheerful up there in the north!? Finland is considered the country with the happiest people in the world. All of Finland? No, a small nest in Lapland is resisting. There are still bad-tempered, unfriendly people who don’t even think about being friendly or helpful.
All these grumpies seem to have gathered together in the debut novel by Finnish author Terhi Kokkonnen. In the Finnish original, the book is called “Rajamaa”, which means borderland and means a place near the Swedish border that actually exists and is known for husky safaris, snowshoe hikes and sensational Northern Lights nights.
In German it becomes “Arctic Mirage”, the fictitious name of an exclusive hotel in that borderland. An overnight stay costs a fortune, including the unfriendly receptionist.
The story starts spectacularly.