The Red Book of Farewells

The Finnish super­star finally com­ing to our shelves ... As Pirkko Saisio's books show us, life writ­ing is every bit as much about storytelling as writ­ing fic­tion is. Exper­i­ence is noth­ing if it’s not turned into words on the page ... I found myself admir­ing Saisio’s writ­ing, ener­get­ic­ally grap­pling with it, laugh­ing with it

Lucy Scholes, Daily Telegraph

There’s a nimble and fluid quality to the prose that makes the book deeply pleasurable to read. Plaudits are due here to the translator, Mia Spangenberg

Chris Power, Observer

This is a story with a sense of both the ridiculous and the serious. Told in clear prose, it playfully shifts between third and first person as Saisio recounts her memories then analyses them. This enchanting series deserves to become a modern classic

John Self, Guardian