https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3821173.html

This is a really intense and complex (and short) novel, which it would be slightly unfair to call urban fantasy even though it's about a troll taking up residence in a contemporary Helsinki apartment block. Mikael, who finds and cares for the troll, is a gay photographer who lives upstairs from a Filipina mail-order bride. The troll's pheromones cause massive sexual confusion for everyone, sparsely recounted in that very Finnish way. The narrative is bolstered by a history of humanity's coexistence with trolls over the centuries and millennia. Helsinki is a sober nineteenth century city which has undergone some occasionally brutal twentieth century development; but it's not difficult to feel older forces tugging at you when you are there, and Johanna Sinisalo has captured that, as well as exploring some important human issues. ( )

Olen fantasian ystävä, mutta tämä ei kauheasti napannut. Yllättävä, kyllä, sekoittaa fantasian aineksia todellisuuteen taitavasti, eikä tarinakaan ole kovin pliisu, mutta silti ei jotenkin kantanut. Asetelma oli jälleen herkullinen, mutta olisin ehkä pitänyt enemmän jostain mikä olisi päättynyt eri tavalla. ( )

young Finnish man takes in lost troll cub and falls in love as trolls infiltrate human society

On his way home one night, Angel rescues a small troll from being beaten up by a group of drunk teenagers and the encounter will change his whole life. This is a weird one. I liked so much of it - the characters and the ties to mythology are amazing, but there are some parts that just make me really nauseated, so I'm coming away with a slightly sour taste in my mouth. ( )

This little troll was on the new book shelf, subtitled "a love story". It took a little while to figure out who the characters were, the story flips between 3 or 4 points of view. Angel/Mikael rescues a troll and starts bringing up the mysterious wild beast in his apartment. This situation is disturbingly compared to the captive mail-order bride that lives downstairs. The characters are moody and murky and often overcome with desire or fear. The scenes are often interrupted with excerpts from histories and literature about trolls. Dangerous and alluring. (November 18, 2004) ( )