Secret Passages in a Hillside Town

Secret Passages in a Hillside Town coverSecret Passages in a Hillside Town

by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen
translated from the Finnish by Lola Rogers
Pushkin Press

by the author of The Rabbit Back Literature Society

A melancholy and forgetful middle-aged publisher reconnects online with his first love from childhood, who is now a bestselling author and cinematic self-help guru, and their rekindled relationship brings back lost memories of the wonderful and sometimes terrifying adventures they had as children on excursions into the secret passages beneath their small Finnish town.

Filled with dreams, magic, and unexpected twists, the new adventure they share takes on the gloss and drama of classic films as their story turns dark, romantic, and dangerous.

Reviews of Secret Passages in a Hillside Town:

“Gloriously strange, witty and disturbing… A tremendous, haunting book, full of bitter pain and starry-eyed wonder.” – SFX (5 stars)

“Jääskeläinen deftly channels the tropes of the big screen—from saturated colors and chiaroscuro to stolen lines and melodramatic scenes, he stages the glittering affair doomed by the secrets of that fateful summer, the mystery of Karri’s disappearance, and the truth about what happened in the secret tunnels. A beguiling, unexpected blend of whimsical romance and suspenseful noir.” – Kirkus

“This mysterious, idiosyncratic tale exerts an unexpected pull… surreal, sinister, and more than a little cinematic.” – The Mail on Sunday

“Strange and beguiling, luring its readers in with quirkiness and charm only to beckon them towards more sinister depths.” – Glasgow Herald

“Such a welcome change, a beautifully written, atmospheric love story with a twist… Randomly funny, ultimately quite dark, very very clever, Secret Passages in a Hillside Town is a literary delight.” – Liz Loves Books blog

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