The Winter War (Hardback)
Philip Teir (author), Tiina Nunnally (translator)
£12.99
Hardback
304 Pages /
Published: 15/01/2015
- Not available
On the surface, the Paul family are living the liberal, middle-class Scandinavian dream. Max Paul is a renowned sociologist and his wife Katriina has a well-paid job in the public sector. They live in an airy apartment in the centre of Helsinki. But look closer and the cracks start to show.
As he approaches his sixtieth birthday, the certainties of Max's life begin to dissolve. He hasn't produced any work of note for decades. His wife no longer loves him. His grown-up daughters - one in London, one in Helsinki - have problems of their own. So when a former student turned journalist shows up and offers him a seductive lifeline, Max starts down a dangerous path from which he may never find a way back.
Funny, sharp, and brilliantly truthful, Teir's debut has the feel of a big, contemporary, humane American novel, but with a distinctly Scandinavian edge.
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781781254882
Number of pages: 304
Weight: 489 g
Dimensions: 222 x 144 x 29 mm
Edition: Main
MEDIA REVIEWS
Presented as Scandinavia's answer to Jonathan Franzen, Teir offers a similarly sardonic yet sympathetic critique of a multi-generational family...remarkable eye for human behaviour...an intelligent debut -- Hayden East * Telegraph *
cool yet compassionate...bitingly funny...engrossing * The Lady *
funny, sharply observed and very readable * Press Association *
Written with unshowy care and thought...there's something Anglo-Americanly, unScandinavianly familiar about the way Teir tackles these domestic and emotional entanglements - only with weird Finnish names, very heavy snowfall and temperatures that reach -20 Celsius -- Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail *
sharply observed novel...Teir is a highly regarded Scandinavian writer and his creation Max lives in Helsinki, but this quietly devastating picture of middle-class disaffection could just as well be set in Islington. Shot through with understated black humour and nicely balanced between tender and acerbic, this impressive novel is a forceful reminder that there is much more to Scandinavian writing than crime fiction -- Phil Baker * Sunday Times *
Quietly absorbing...well-conceived domestic drama...While the book may be acid about Helsinki's middle class, it is not cynical. Indeed, there is warmth even in its darkest moments -- Josh de la Mare * FT *
Somewhere between Richard Yates and John Updike, but with a Nordic temperament that is cooler ... Teir writes about an academic middle class family with a realism that is both ironically compassionate and warmly critical * Expressen *
Little short of brilliant ... The Winter War is firmly rooted in an Anglo-Saxon tradition, alongside writers such as Julian Barnes, Alan Hollinghurst and Jeffrey Eugenides * Joenkoepings-Posten *
cool yet compassionate...bitingly funny...engrossing * The Lady *
funny, sharply observed and very readable * Press Association *
Written with unshowy care and thought...there's something Anglo-Americanly, unScandinavianly familiar about the way Teir tackles these domestic and emotional entanglements - only with weird Finnish names, very heavy snowfall and temperatures that reach -20 Celsius -- Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail *
sharply observed novel...Teir is a highly regarded Scandinavian writer and his creation Max lives in Helsinki, but this quietly devastating picture of middle-class disaffection could just as well be set in Islington. Shot through with understated black humour and nicely balanced between tender and acerbic, this impressive novel is a forceful reminder that there is much more to Scandinavian writing than crime fiction -- Phil Baker * Sunday Times *
Quietly absorbing...well-conceived domestic drama...While the book may be acid about Helsinki's middle class, it is not cynical. Indeed, there is warmth even in its darkest moments -- Josh de la Mare * FT *
Somewhere between Richard Yates and John Updike, but with a Nordic temperament that is cooler ... Teir writes about an academic middle class family with a realism that is both ironically compassionate and warmly critical * Expressen *
Little short of brilliant ... The Winter War is firmly rooted in an Anglo-Saxon tradition, alongside writers such as Julian Barnes, Alan Hollinghurst and Jeffrey Eugenides * Joenkoepings-Posten *
You may also be interested in...
Added to basket
£20.00
£15.99
Hardback
Added to basket
£7.99
£5.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£8.99
£6.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£7.99
£5.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£8.99
£6.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£7.99
£5.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£8.99
£6.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£7.99
£5.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£8.99
£6.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£8.99
£5.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£7.99
£5.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£8.99
£6.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£7.99
£5.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£8.99
£6.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£12.99
£9.99
Paperback
Added to basket
£7.99
£5.99
Paperback
“A Great Family Drama.”
This novel focuses on the Paul family, Max and Katriina, who, after being married for 30 years, have fallen into a dysfunctional routine that has affected them and their daughters Helen and Eve. Written with realism... More
“A snapshot of a family unit in crisis, and a peek behind the Ikea curtain and the idea of the pristine Scandinavian life.”
Max and Katriina Paul have been married for over thirty years and have settled into some semblance of a comfortable routine. Professor of sociology and one-time media darling on the subject of sex, Max, spends his... More
“An exciting new voice from Finland”
An engaging modern day family saga which cheekily pokes fun at the notion of the ‘perfect people’ of Scandinavia. Set against a backdrop of contemporary Helsinki and drizzly London (the perfect breeding ground for... More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Not registered? CREATE AN ACCOUNT
Sign In
Click & Collect
Simply reserve online and pay at the counter when you collect.
Available in shop from just two hours, subject to availability.
Thank you for your reservation
Your order is now being processed and we have sent a confirmation email to you at
When will my order be ready to collect?
Following the initial email, you will be contacted by the shop to confirm that your item is available for collection.
Call us on or send us an email at
Unfortunately there has been a problem with your order
Please try again or alternatively you can contact your chosen shop on or send us an email at