Burnt Land

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

In the Outback gold-mining camps of Kalgoorlie, Australia, life is as gritty and harsh as the orange sand blasted from the pitted, scorched earth. For men, it can be lonely, but for women, in a land where little is protected, danger lurks in every leering glance. And Sanna is terrified. A graduate student researching gender equality in the mines while attempting to hide her pregnancy, she left her abusive boyfriend and her unstable family far behind in Finland, hoping to find inner peace in a new environment-only to find crude, scary men and tragic stories. Amid the parched, hostile surroundings, Sanna impossibly starts to feel love when she meets middle-aged miner Martti-another Finn, another restless soul with emotional scars. As their relationship deepens and her pregnancy progresses, Sanna's unfulfilled desire for healing draws her to a charismatic spiritual guide who promises enlightenment. When Sanna follows her guide on an extended walkabout into the barren yet magical Australian desert, she discovers new connections with nature and herself. But will her quest lead her to happiness and peace, or could this trek be far more dangerous than she ever imagined

Reviews

[Burnt Land is] a study of people in situations where they feel without a choice, from Sannas hike to Marttis grief, to a mother in a mining town clutching a child that isnt hers, and a miner ready to end it all. Its also a study of power: the power we willfully hand over to others, and the power that we have no choice over. Harno is particularly skillful with the desert sections, setting a scene where the earth, so tranquil and beautiful on the surface, simmers with fear, death, and melancholia. Asymptote

Author Bio

Tua Harno is an award-winning writer living in Helsinki, Finland. Her first novel, Those Who Stay-a story about roots, family, and the songs of Leonard Cohen-won the Pentti Saarikoski writing competition in 2012, and an honorable mention in the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize competition for best debut novel in 2013. Burnt Land is her second novel.