Karikko (‘The Reef’) tells a magic realism story. A family – mother, two boys and an absent father – drives to a campground. They carry an indescribably great sorrow with them. They intend to stop briefly, but fate intervenes: their car breaks down. The days merge and become indistinct; time is at once long and short. Vladimir, one of the boys, watches movies in a constant stream. Mitja, on the other hand, runs. He examines, searches, finds a girl in a white dress who is unwilling to speak, and he falls in love. He discovers a group of boys on the shore, an encounter that changes Mitja’s life. As time passes, he has to take his own place in the group and make friendships, stand up for his views and take responsibility for his decisions. Gradually, the reader begins to grasp what this story is about. Karikko is the winner of the Nordic Council YA Literature Prize (2013) and the Finnish Tulenkantaja (‘Torchbearer’) Prize. Author Seita Vuorela (b.1971) has written books for young people and adults throughout her career.
Karikko
