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Finnish authors abroad
Finnish authors abroad
The only difference between the dead and the living is the gaze.
Paris, 1943, under the German occupation. A teenage boy named Lucien steals a locked notebook from an antique shop. He starts using it as a journal but soon discovers that the stories he writes on its pages become real – especially if they are related to death.
As Lucien comes of age, his life becomes entwined with writers and artists such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Genet, and Alberto Giacometti. Yet beneath his literary aspirations lies a deeper obsession: the act of looking. The mysterious notebook gradually transforms from a gift into a curse, forcing Lucien to confront the moral consequences of imagination and desire.
Strongly linked to some of the most fascinating artistic and literary currents of the post-war Paris, The Gaze Behind the Lock unfolds as a meditation on ambition, art, passion, perception, and the dangerous power of creation. At the same time, the story is a gripping adventure driven by obsession and violence. Both fast-paced and philosophical, eerily entertaining and imaginatively conceived, The Gaze Behind the Lock combines literary mystery, speculative fiction, and psychological suspense in a unique way.
The Gaze Behind the Lock appeals to readers of historical and mystery novels as much as to admirers of intellectually ambitious literary fiction. Through its rich engagement with the work of Alberto Giacometti, the novel reflects Heikki Kännö’s dual sensibility as a writer and visual artist, exploring how art can transform not only our perception of ourselves and others, but also life itself.
English sample
English synpopsis
Finnish edition
‘Heikki Kännö is a unique figure in Finnish literature. He writes ambitious, gripping novels in which art and artists have the power to change our reality – for better or for worse. The Gaze Behind the Lock is both fast-paced and philosophical, eerily entertaining and imaginative. It draws on philosophy and art to tell a story of obsessions, selfishness and sacrifice also questioning what an artist in entitled to do in the name of their art. The Gaze Behind the Lock will appeal to fans of crime mysteries and readers of philosophical novels alike. It will leave a lasting impression on readers of compelling fiction.’ —Helena Kulmala, Publishing Manager, WSOY, Finland