True

In Pulkkinen’s second novel, her first to be translated into English, the Finnish author tells the story of Elsa, a well-known child psychologist; her husband, Martti, a painter; their doctor daughter Elenoora; and Anna and Maria, their 20-something granddaughters. All have assembled around Elsa as she succumbs to cancer. Anna and her grandmother have always been kindred spirits, often playing dress up and picnicking in the park, and it’s Anna’s choice of outfit for one of these outings that opens a window into a forgotten chapter of Martti and Elsa’s past. The frock that Anna plucks from the closet belongs not to Elsa but to Eeva, Elenoora’s former nanny, with whom Martti had an ongoing affair during Elsa’s scholarly trips. While Anna obsesses over her grandparents’ past, seeing in it an alternate life that she so longs for, having to face her father’s betrayal makes Elenoora question everything. Pulkkinen has a fine eye for description and infuses her characters with longing, but the story is familiar: desire for a different life than the one we’ve chosen. An eloquent family saga that falls short of revelation. Agent: Hanna Kjelberg, Otava Group Agency. (Mar. 20)