The Book of Flesh

Lihakirja

A powerful and fearless novel about power, the body, and breaking of boundaries.

Written by a two-time Finlandia Prize nominee, this novel invites the reader to search for the truth.

“This is not a contest about who is bad and who is good. That doesn’t interest me. I am interested only in the truth.”

The story features a woman and a man. The woman is portrayed as a witch. The man an inquisitor. One night, they find themselves together in a hotel room. Next morning, the woman wakes up without her underwear and with a strange feeling. She doesn’t know what happened and he refuses to tell. Haunted by nightmares, and desperate to find out the truth, the woman keeps on asking the man if there was a crime. A hare comes to pick up the reader and acts as a narrator to the story, intending to find out what really happened between the two. The hare leads the reader through Dante’s Inferno and back again, on a journey that examines the roots of lies, the consequences of crossing boundaries and the history of revenge.

The Book of Flesh does more than merely questions preconceived ideas—it reveals how power is tied up with subjugation, both in human relationships and in our treatment of other animals and in the language we use. This self-assured novel boldly discusses the structures of society from a wholly new perspective. Laura Gustafsson’s self-assured novel shakes, challenges and moves the reader — and cannot be forgotten.

Materials

English sample
English synopsis
Finnish edition
Press quotes

Press quotes

‘A thorn in the flesh.’ – Suomen kuvalehti magazine

‘Gustafsson is both ragging and being serious. Patriarchy, rape culture, intensive agriculture and predatory capitalism are linked in her fierce novel.’ – Suomen kuvalehti

‘The problem lies in the whole, not in individuals, which is why the man and and the woman are not named.’ –  Suomen kuvalehti

‘The hare narrator does not bow to convention. The unpretentious narrative hits your face like a whip. Gustafsson’s characters are also naked in their speech, where vulgarity is more than occasional.’ – Satakunnan kansa newspaper

‘Instead of revenge or justice this book seeks the truth.’ – Turun Sanomat newspaper

‘Even though the topics covered are harsh, Gustafsson’s cannonball-like prose is uplifting.’ – Turun Sanomat

‘Gustafsson accurately captures feelings of shame and losing control. She uses them to construct emotions that have defined femininity throughout history.’ – Turun Sanomat

‘The Book of Flesh is one of those books that you just must throw yourself into, approach them with an open mind, one of those books that doesn’t live up to expectations. – – With those, you don’t know which way to turn. You must learn to read all over again. In their inventiveness, they can be both a great pleasure and a mixed battle of irritation and pain at the same time. And that is precisely why they stick in your mind.’ – Turun Sanomat