How would you live your life, if you knew what day you were going to die?
Author: Piia Leino
Finnish original: Yliaika
Publisher: S&S, 2020
Number of pages: 225 pp.
Reading material: Finnish original, English sample, English synopsis
In 2052, Finland is flourishing and only youthful people walk the pale pavements of Helsinki. But wellbeing has its price: Finnish citizenship is limited to those under the age of 75.
Annastiina Kankaanrinta, a powerful politician of the 2020s, has lived an almost perfect life and is preparing a stylish media event for her exit. The flowers and linens have been carefully chosen and the champagne is chilled. Now all she needs to do is choose her last words.
But there’s a crack in the harmony that puts her in a panic. What has Annastiina left undone, and could she still repair the mistakes she’s made?
In Overtime, Piia Leino, winner of the European Union Prize for her previous novel Heaven (2018), examines what drives us and what the ultimate meanings of our choices are. Is it possible to live your life in such a way that your time on earth doesn’t go to waste?
“[…] like Philip K. Dick, Piia Leino has a gift for incredibly fluid narration. The topics of Overtime may be weighty, but the storytelling is light. One doesn’t come across such a combination every day.”
– Keskisuomalainen newspaper
Also available:
The Heirloom Chronicles (2022)
Apogee (2021)
Heaven (2018)
Ugly Cashier (2016)
About the author:
Piia Leino