Translated by David Hackston
For me, Antti Tuomainen is the new Antoine Laurain!
When Gallic Books (now part of Pushkin Press) introduced Laurain via his novel The President’s Hat it was a big word of mouth hit, and most years, they added another of his novels to their lists building up a devoted following. I’ve read nine out of ten of them!
The Winter Job is Tuomainen’s ninth book for Orenda. His breakthrough novel was probably 2019’s Little Siberia which really started to gain traction for him, and things really took off with the next one, The Rabbit Factor, which is where I first encountered him.
Like Laurain, I now look forward to each new Tuomainen novel from Orenda. These two authors’ works have much in common – notably their humour, hapless characters, moments of darkness. Laurain’s books are a bit more whimsical and romantic than Tuomainen’s which tend to be more madcap. Both are brilliant.
Enough of the comparisons, let me tell you a little about the super standalone novel by Tuomainen that is The Winter Job.
Helsinki, 1982, it’s one week to Christmas, and recently divorced postal worker Ilmari Nieminen needs to earn some money to buy a piano for his daughter. At the last minute, a job turns up; to take a valuable antique sofa to Kilpisjärvi, the most northerly town in Finland, a van will be supplied.
The antiques dealer is obviously a shady character – he tries to diddle Ilmari out of the petrol money, and the van is past its best ,(left, it’s a Thames Van, made by Ford based on the Anglia, never a Ford Van, always a Thames), but eventually Ilmari is on his way.
However, just after he’s left, a man in a yellow Saab 96 (right, the model is always quoted) arrives, and when the dealer tries to play him – well, Otto, the Saab 96 driver isn’t happy! Dealer dealt with, the Saab 96 heads off in hot pursuit.
But he’s not the only one… there are also two Communists on his tail, in a Lada, natch. What is it that’s so important about the sofa? Does it carry a hidden cargo – drugs, art, or something more sinister? I’m not letting on.
Ilmari is blissfully unaware of all this, driving along towards one of his planned stops where he’ll catch up with his aunt, whom he loves dearly, but refuses to move to the city. But he’s barely out of Helsinki and the Thames is showing signs of overheating – he needs to stop at a service station. It’s there he meets Antero Kuikka, who is there hoping to find a lift north, he can fix the Thames.
They both took a step forwards, reaching out their hands. Ilmari calculated that it had been almost exactly twenty-three years since they had shaken hands. At the same moment, Ilmari remembered other things. Good things at first, but straight afterwards a bad thing. Still, he didn’t want to dwell on the events of their boyhood any further and returned to what they were doing and why. There wasn’t any time to lose.
It’s a good thing that Ilmari met Antero again. As the others will catch up with them, and he’ll need Antero’s lateral thinking to extricate them from bad situations. He’s not sure whether to fully trush Antero, but they begin to rekindle a friendship of sorts that will grow as they journey north. (I see their relationship at first as a bit like River Cartwright and JK Coe in Slow Horses.)
Tuomainen together with his translator, Hackston don’t disappoint. I loved this road-trip car chase which was replete with his dark humour, twists and turns, his trademark way of making the violence funny too, but added to this is a tale of male friendship and classic cars – I sensed the vehicles were important in this particular novel – well it is a car chase! It’s a long way from Helsinki to up north, but the pace never lets up, and the climax was worth waiting for. I think this may be my favourite of his novels so far. Loved it.
Source: Review copy – thank you! Orenda hardback, 276 pages.
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