Representing the best
Finnish authors abroad
Finnish authors abroad
Dreams shift like the sea breeze in this evocative maritime series set on a rugged Baltic Island.
Trained sea-captain Henna Meriö, thirty and world-weary, returns to her childhood home on the remote Baltic Island of Utö after years working aboard a luxury cruise ship in the Caribbean. Trading tropical sunsets for stormy November winds, Henna seeks solace and purpose in the familiar rhythms of island life.
Henna retrains as a sea pilot to remain close to her ailing mother. Disputes between the islanders threaten Utö’s year-round population. She finds herself drawn into local efforts to preserve the island’s services—starting with the cozy Lighthouse Café.
As Henna reconnects with her roots, she’s confronted by past heartbreak and unexpected desire. Her colleague Miikka stirs long-buried emotions, while the arrival of brother Heikki’s army buddy Samal—a charismatic former basketball star and influencer turned substitute teacher—raises suspicions. Though the islanders are charmed by his polished facade, Henna senses there’s more to his story.
The Wind Turns South is the first installment in the Home Harbour series, each part of which focuses on the lives of one of the siblings—Henna, Heikki, and Hilla—as they navigate love, loss, and belonging across the sea-swept landscapes of the Finnish archipelago. While life may pull them in different directions, Utö remains their anchor—a place where the heart always finds its way home.
Finnish edition
English sample translation