Pispala Library's guest author: Riina Paasonen - Joki joen alla

A powerfully tense novel about a woman caught between two men

Riina Paasonen’s novel Joki joen alla (The River Beneath the River) is a psychologically precise and atmospherically charged story about choices that can no longer be postponed.

Julia, a nurse in her thirties, has grown up in a family where women have learned to take charge of their emotions – otherwise they are trampled over and turned into ridicule. Living in Helsinki, Julia is seeing a confident man who smiles easily and renovates apartments. At the same time, the past holds on tightly: her ex-boyfriend continues to live in the shadow of his mother’s accident. When the three decide to travel together to Julia’s home region of Konnunsuo, unresolved issues and suppressed emotions begin to crack open.

The family farm built on marshland is strangely compelling and almost haunting – an environment that forces Julia to confront herself and make her decision.

Joki joen alla is Riina Paasonen’s second novel. It reflects on relationships, emotional attachment and the question of where one’s place in life is ultimately formed: through other people, family ties or the courage to choose differently.

Riina Paasonen is a Tampere-based social services professional and creative writing instructor. Her debut novel Kaikki minkä menetimme (Everything We Lost, 2017) received praise in particular for its dialogue and its portrayal of life’s tragicomic dimensions. Paasonen’s work explores relationships and psychological tensions with keen insight and uncompromising tenderness.

Interviewer: Riikka Ulanto

👉 Riina Paasonen

📚 Joki joen alla

🗓️ 26 February 2026, 6.00-7.30 pm

📍 Pispalan valtatie 21, 33250 Tampere, Finland

🤝 The event is open and free of charge

☕ Complimentary light refreshments