The Break-In

Murto

A darkly comic, oddly tender, and brilliantly chaotic story about youth – one that tears along like the gleaming BMW stolen by its teenage protagonist.

Fifteen-year-old Esso escapes the residential care home, nicks his dad’s gun and his prized BMW, before swinging back to the care home to pick up his two best mates – the fierce, stammering Raxu, and the posh, unravelling Luke – and the trio hits the road. Their grand idea? To livestream cottage break-ins as viral true-crime content to make a name for themselves! Esso directs. Raxu films. Luke stars and charms.

After few days into their roadtrip, their petty-crime-spree has already began to lose some of its luster, and the final sheen is peeled off off at a lakeside cabin in the middle-of-nowhere where they stumble across something terrifying; a body in a freezer. It’s too late to flee when they try as the road is blocked by a trio of ageing gangsters – and things begin to spiral further out of control.

Told in Esso’s confessional voice and fuelled by his witty sense of humour, The Break-In forms a gritty exploration of youth, trauma, sketchy decisions, and the long shadow they may cast upon lives.

Vulnerable kids and jaded adults alike are caught in murky waters, where no one gets off clean — but some might still be saved.

Materials

Finnish PDF
English sample
English synopsis

Praise

‘With Ansu Kivekäs at the wheel, you’re in for both laughter and thrills. …a fine example of a YA novel that can also entertain adult readers with a taste for hard-boiled crime fiction.’ —Suomen kuvalehti magazine

‘With just a few well-aimed pen strokes, Kivekäs creates an edgy but authentic setting for a weekend at a cabin, where a cast of increasingly original main and supporting characters measure themselves against one another — and against themselves.’ —Päivi Heikkilä-Halttunen, Suomen kuvalehti

‘In addition to the fast-moving plot and zany humour, The Break-In also contains more reflective pauses and even moments of great tenderness. […] Without giving away too much of the delicious plot, I can reveal that there’s a dead body, drugs, a kidnapping, and some idyllic lakeside cottage life.’ —Siniset helmet, literary review 

‘One of the best things about the book is its realism. The characters behave like real young people. They speak authentically, make mistakes, and react to them in a way that feels believable. Although the book has dark and serious tones, it also contains humor.’ —Lukufiilis blog, Jonne Valtavaara, 17