Dive into the heart of Finnish family dramas with the reading of “Si vulnérable,” the debut novel by Finnish journalist Simo Hiltunen. He draws inspiration from various incidents that have occurred in his country in recent years to create a violent and dark thriller.
On the surface, the Virtanen family seems perfect. Both parents work and love each other, their two daughters, aged 4 and 9, are adorable, they have no enemies, no debts, and get along well with everyone. Yet, one day in June, the father kills his children and wife before taking his own life.
Lauri Kivi, a legal affairs columnist, is sent to cover the case, and it reminds him of other cases—other family murders where the father wipes out his family before killing himself… He decides to conduct an extensive investigation across the country into these family crimes. Are they truly suicides following the crimes? Or, much more sordidly, is it the work of a serial killer?
By delving into the core of these families and their tragedies, Kivi recalls his childhood within a particularly violent family.
“Si vulnérable” is a strong and dark thriller whose very ambivalent hero is marked by a childhood filled with drama and hate. The narrator, Lauri Kivi, is a broken man who could not develop into a normal individual. He is the second son of a violent and alcoholic father and a mother who enjoys provoking this harsh man; all his life, he has feared the blows and fury of his parents. He struggles to survive, even more so when his elder brother, Tuomas, disappears.
Today, his father is dying in a nursing home. And what if Kivi had the opportunity to learn more about his brother’s departure? And what if he discovered the existence of a family secret?
Parallel to his personal story, Kivi takes an interest in these family dramas. Through sheer tenacity, he eventually uncovers a clue no one else noticed…
Simo Hiltunen takes the reader into the heart of Finnish territory, these sparsely populated vast spaces, this life close to the polar circle. With his difficult subject matter as well as the environment and the predominant presence of nature, he creates a cold and haunting atmosphere.
With a particular rhythm, quite slow, typical of Nordic authors, and a very visual writing style, Simo Hiltunen takes his time to unfold the threads of the plot and brings as many elements to the investigation as to Kivi’s personal story. Could anyone other than Kivi understand? Uncertain, with his background, Kivi is the ideal investigator. He knows better than anyone the consequences of a broken childhood and that the border with violence is never far away.
“Si vulnérable” is a thriller from the cold, dark and violent, where the author sets up his plot, forcing the reader to delve into Kivi’s history to uncover the truth.
