This past week, I read two very different books that took place in #Finland. The first was The Maid Silja: The History of the Last Offshoot of an Old Family Tree, by F.E. Sillanpää.
Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his work in 1939, and this book was first published in 1931.
This novel guides us through the story of a couple of generations of a family, and how circumstances would have dramatically changed life for those living in the Finland countryside (in this case, around the turn of the 20th century).
We first learn of how those who were financially comfortable typically chose spouses, and how important it was considered to be paired with someone from a family similar or better off from one's family of origin. We get to know a young couple, their struggles with infertility, and ultimately, we come to know them as their children are growing up.
Tragedy strikes the family, and ultimately, the young girl Silja ends up growing up alone with her father. When she loses her father, and ultimately finds herself all alone, she begins a new chapter of her life moving from farm to farm, serving as a maid.
As she navigates life at each of these new households, she is faced with a variety of challenges, discrimination, and she learns about love along the way.
This book is deep, complex, and in my opinion, ultimately a tragedy. However, I was left thinking about all the special and happy moments that exist along the way, even in an ultimately tough life.
I recommend this book, as it gave me a lot to think about, and even as it is nearly a century old, the writing style was not overly verbose, which made it a comfortable, easy and accessible read. I got some great exposure to the countryside and the people of Finland.
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