‘Punainen erokirja’ by Pirkko Saisio

‘Punainen erokirja’ (English: ‘The Red Book of Farewells,’ German: ‘Das rote Buch der Abschiede’) by Pirkko Saisio is the last novel in the author’s autofictional trilogy.

Set in Helsinki and spanning several decades, readers follow Pirkko through her youth and early adulthood. Early on, she realizes that she is attracted to women. This occurs during a time when Finnish law penalized same-sex attraction.

Her mother waits for this ‘phase’ to end and even offers to pay for conversion therapy. Meanwhile, Pirkko tries to figure out who she is and who she wants to become. She falls in love with women and theater. And she is disappointing to and disappointed by the women she loves.

At times, the novel almost seems like a poem. The narrative jumps between different periods of Pirkko’s life and between first- and third-person narration. This book is definitely unique!

CW: criminalization of same-sex actions, parental death, depression, suicide attempt and suicidal ideation, drug use, emotional abuse