Aunuksen helmi : $b Romaani

In the early summer of 1919 a modest contractor named Ali Martikainen sets out on his first major job: to float sixty‑thousand logs down a river that may or may not be suitable for the task. The contract, drawn up in the city of Petroskoi, hinges on a single vague clause about the waterway’s condition, and Ali’s only assurance comes from the confident, if slightly evasive, promises of the local baron. Determined to honor his word, he gathers a mixed crew of Finnish laborers and curious outsiders, preparing for a trek through the untamed lands between the Soimijoki and the Aunus plateau—a region the locals nicknamed “the Egyptian basin” for its stark, almost otherworldly landscape.

As the party reaches the remote settlement of Himola, the realities of the wilderness begin to surface: precarious supply lines, skeptical locals, and the ever‑present threat of hunger. Ali’s steadfastness is tested by the practicalities of moving men and materials across icy streams, trudging through snow‑covered forests, and negotiating with the varied personalities of his own team. The novel captures the blend of ambition and uncertainty that defines early twentieth‑century frontier work, offering a vivid portrait of a man wrestling with promise, geography, and the men he has hired.