Light and Gravity

A beautifully evocative debut about forbidden loves, emotional truths, and the strength that can emerge from vulnerability.

When Jenny receives an urgent call about her mother who has been hospitalized abroad and is unlikely to regain consciousness, she is forced to put her own life on hold and travel to the family’s summer house in search of her mother’s healthcare directive. As she embarks on this journey, Jenny is grappling with another loss: the sudden silence of the man she loves, whose absence leaves her suspended between hope and heartbreak.

Over the course of a single summer day, new truths emerge and long-held assumptions begin to unravel while Jenny is searching for the will, finding a diary instead. Unexpected encounters and buried family secrets surface and challenge Jenny’s understanding of her childhood, and at the same time herself.

Enchanting in its emotional intensity, exquisite atmosphere, and in the author’s remarkable command of language, this beautifully written one-day novel draws the reader into a world where fleeting moments carry immense emotional weight.

Tender, intimate, and emotionally astute, this accomplished debut also discusses the intricate, often painful web of human relationships. The story unfolds with a quiet urgency that makes it impossible to set aside, proving that a single day can contain a lifetime’s worth of longing, revelation, and change.

Praise

“In this poignant and perceptive novel, Jenny’s intensely personal experience of the present unfolds with remarkable emotional precision. The narrative lingers on feelings, memory, and the subtle shifts of consciousness, creating a reflective atmosphere that at times approaches therapeutic literature. Yet this introspective quality becomes one of the novel’s greatest strengths, drawing the reader deeply into its emotional landscape. The portrayal of the complex mother-daughter relationship at the heart of the story is particularly compelling.” — Kaleva daily newspaper

“A finely crafted, atmospheric novel exploring sensitivity, love, and the complexities of being someone’s child.” — Anna Ferrante, Anna magazine

“With its exquisite language and deeply affecting emotional insight, this novel is utterly compelling. The author captures both the fragility and intensity of human experience with remarkable sensitivity. Once I began reading, I simply could not put [the novel] down. ” — Iina / Book Beat Review