Culture|Book review
Jyrki Vainonen takes the captive to mystical landscapes.
Novel
Jyrki Vainonen: Stuffed. Lobby & Co. 255 s.
Jyrki Vainonen his career as a writer has continued for more than 20 years. Both his novels and short stories have transported the reader to his own worlds, where he faces fascinating surreal visions.
This line will continue as well Stuffedwhich is Vainonen ‘s first novel in more than ten years.
The main character of the book may be Elias. He himself is no longer sure. The story begins at the end of the drug trial. As the prosecutor’s star witness, Elias has been promised a new life and identity far from his hometown.
Unexpectedly Elias is transported to an unknown city surrounded by a huge wall. There she is greeted by an age-old woman who welcomes her to the Wall City and shows Elias her new home.
The next morning the woman is missing. Only a letter hangs on the floor of the porch saying that over a longer period of time, Elias will get used to everything he sees and experiences. He would not be able to leave until his successor arrived.
Before that, he is the master’s own. A master who erases his minutes into the non-existent and fills him with some stranger.
The walled city is deserted and empty. No one moves in its tubed markets and stone houses. Time has eaten human footprints, and the farm has been invaded by wildlife and numerous animals from bees to storks.
In this landscape, Elias searches for the house of the master, though it is easy to get lost in the labyrinthine alleys of the city.
At the same time he writes notes about her former life: her mother’s traumatic experiences at the extermination camp and her own career as a bird researcher and divorce. For personal reasons that led him to witness the trial.
When he later reads these notes, he no longer recognizes himself from them. They are like the memories of someone else.
Over time, Elias’ grip on his previous identity becomes even more distorted. The master feeds in his mind the dreams of the former inhabitants of the Wall City, which roll down old images. From these visions, however, Elias receives further clues as to the nature and purpose of the city.
Elias’ new life is also bitten by a strong sense of loneliness and longing for other people. To fill the void, he talks to both the stuffed animals and himself. Most often, the answer is just silence.
The walled city is an enchanting backdrop for an imaginative journey. The city is full of mysteries and secrets that are gradually unfolding.
Time and destiny are layered, themes and details mirror each other. There are dolls stuffed with ash and prepared animals. Thoughts on superconscious existence. Cruelty and beauty, as well as numerous carefully considered narrative grooves.
Used by Vainonen the tongue is polished, even from a ball. Even from lyric. The text is a pleasure to read and takes its experiencer deep into the magical wonders of the Wall City.
At the same time, the novel’s reflections on memory and identity, life and death emerge. Everything that makes a human being a human being.
Stuffed is a meaningfully loaded, subconscious playing novel that proves that Vainonen is still a masterful storyteller.
“I’m thinking of resting for a while and then leaving for another city. But after closing my eyes, my eyelids feel so heavy I can’t open them. Finally, before I fall asleep, I see a sign hanging on the wall: The Wall. In memories. ”
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