Burnt Land

Burnt Land

by Tua Harno
translated from the Finnish by Kristian London
Amazon Crossing

Graduate student Sanna travels across the world to conduct research on gender equality in the dusty, hostile milieu of an Australian mining camp. Having left her home, difficult family relationships, and an abusive partner behind in Finland, she hopes her new environment will bring some measure of peace—and indicate a path forward for herself and her unborn child.

Amid the parched, hardscrabble surroundings, Sanna starts to feel love for a middle-aged miner named 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?

A study of power: the power we willfully hand over to others, and the power that we have no choice over. – Asymptote Journal

Available from Elliott Bay Books, Amazon, or your local bookstore.