Representing the best
Finnish authors abroad
Finnish authors abroad
A breathtaking historical masterpiece from a Finlandia-nominated author
The Trial is a story about a mysterious web of crimes, a deeply hidden friendship spanning decades, and the power of love.
Spring 1938. A young detective arrives for his first assignment in a small village in Southern Ostrobothnia to investigate a suspected illegal abortion. A mentally troubled woman, known throughout the village as Aunt Vilja, sets off a chain of events that ultimately brings over forty people to trial. But what has happened to Vilja herself? Who will face the final verdict? Who is the victim, and who is the criminal—if anyone is truly innocent?
Someone knows and is determined to keep their secret for decades to come.
In just three months since publication, The Trial made it onto Helsingin Sanomat newspaper’s list of the TOP 100 best Finnish books of the 21st century. It was included in both the expert and public rankings.
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Estonian: Rahva Raamat
Finnish edition
English sample
Long and short English synopses
2026, Eeva Joenpelto Prize nominee (winner tba)
2025, Pohjalainen Literary Prize shortlist
2024, Runeberg Prize nominee
2024, Winner of the Thank you for the Book medal for outstanding fiction
“Exceptionally fine novel. Similar works are rarely published in Finland, and not often in the rest of the world.” —Suomen Kuvalehti
“An enjoyable masterpiece.” —Helsingin Sanomat
“Both in its character portrayals and its vivid world-building, The Trial is impressive.” —Satakunnan kansa
“The structure of the novel and its genius gradually reveal themselves.” —Kulttuuritoimitus
“A deeply moving and electrifying novel that keeps the reader hooked from the first page.” —René Tendermann, Rahva Raamat, Estonia
“The Trial is the finest Finnish novel I have read in several years.” —Seura Magazine
“Markus Nummi’s monumental novel Käräjät shakes the reader to the core and nourishes the soul. At its centre is a small South Ostrobothnian village in the summer of 1938, whose inhabitants find themselves under nationwide scrutiny after a long‑buried crime within the community comes to light. Nummi depicts with sharp insight the profound impact that a traumatic court case has on both the village and its people. Through a grippingly told story, the tension between law and morality unfolds — and in the end, it is the reader who becomes the judge.” —Eeva Joenpelto Prize Jury
