Reviews

Ah yes, a good old Dead Dove: Do Not Eat. I feel insane after reading this book and I have a lot to say.

Here's a huge trigger warning that is both necessary and a spoiler: Angel falls for the troll. He desires him sexually, and this troll is an animal, a puppy, a juvenile. There's no human-troll sex scene, btw, but the desire is there.

Angel is a thirty-something finnish man walking home after being rejected by a man he's had a crush on for a while now, when he comes across a group of kids kicking a little baby troll. Worried about the poor little thing, fascinated and a little drunk, he decides to take the cub home, after all, what could go wrong? Well. Everything.

In this alternate Finland, trolls are a registered species that are very much real. And while they're now recognized and identified as animals, it's extremely rare to come across one and even rarer (worse: illegal) is to hold one as a pet.

In his research and all his efforts for understanding and taking care of this creature that seems more myth than reality, he ends up obsessing over him. Slowly but surely it was everything he could think about and soon enough his life revolves around the troll, even affecting his already messy love life.

The mix between fantasy and reality is constant through the story, with snippets of poetry and folklore, and excerpts from scientific articles about trolls. While some might loathe it, I enjoyed the constant jumps between point of views, they seem to fit the erratic mood.

This book offers up a couple of disturbing questions for us, almost existentialist. It's easy to miss the exploration of gender politics, of the deep-rooted sexism in heterosexual relationships, how Palomita is the 'troll' for his husband that keeps her locked at home, that bought her up and sees her as nothing but an exotic animal that he desires.

From the beginning, you know everything has to end up in flames.

A problematic fave, way more interesting than a ton of more 'polished' works. 4.5/5.

amaldae's review against another edition

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3.0

What I expected
x magical atmosphere (realistic world)
x beautiful writing
x beautiful story (interesting plot & characters)

What did I get
x realistic(?) telling - ugh
x interesting characters (identified with everyone, EXCEPT Angel and Pessi)
x trolls? Not sure! (I blame the ending q_q)

Sinisalo is a skilled writer. Vast majority of her characters are lovable and understandable and I found her way of telling the story to be extremely fitting for this particular book. I also liked how she introduced her world, through short articles and quotes from other books, and still invented the main thing herself (maybe her background in journalism showed itself here?) - and I still don't know what was or could be true, what was quoted from somebody else and what is true only in her head. I guess that's a good thing in this genre...

But I didn't see the much talked fancifulness in her writing and didn't really like the plot either, possibly because Mikael lives in a completely different world than I ever have... and so I got to dislike him. Maybe his story, too. I couldn't get into the it, even though I loved everyone else in the book.

(also the ending is the most disturbing thing ever and I would have liked the book much better had it not hinted at... quite such similarities... between humans and trolls.)

mipa123's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

4.0

bridge_overbooked's review against another edition

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2.0

Really didn't enjoy this one. I think it was supposed to be slightly uncomfortable? But also I couldn't tell if that's what the author was going for or if that's just normal for them? Definitely check the trigger warnings before reading (or just don't read in the first place).

"Troll: A Love Story" is a contemporary Finnish novel that revolves around photographer Angel, who discovers and adopts a wounded troll in the woods. As Angel's relationship with the troll deepens, the novel explores themes of love, acceptance, and the clash between the magical and mundane in modern society. The story combines elements of fantasy, romance, and social commentary as it delves into the complexities of unconventional relationships and the societal challenges faced by those who dare to defy norms.

eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition

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3.0

3 1/2 stars. This book was eerie and provocative, and I'm quite impressed with what Johanna Sinsalo has done. I still can't like it as much as it probably deserves. Sometimes, the book and the reader just don't have a good fit, and this is an example. I tend to get frustrated with books where I can't relate to any of the characters, and more so when I don't much like the characters. I just don't like anyone in this book. The premise is intriguing and the story is well crafted, but it ultimately left me wanting more involvement and emotional connection with the characters.

venlaauroraa's review against another edition

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1.0

I really wanted to like this, but this was a big disappointed. I can kinda understand why this got so much positive feedback and even won awards, but on the other hand, I really can't. This is just disturbing. I thought this would be creepy, atmospheric, a beautiful description of people and nature and their relationship, but this was just disturbing and disgusting and boring and maybe trying to do too much in too little time. Honestly, the last ten or so pages were the best.

I don't really know why I disliked this so much. Maybe because it wasn't as magical as I thought it would be? It barely feels like fantasy. Maybe it's because even though there where good, important themes, they weren't really discussed. There's a woman stuck in an abusive relationship, yet she's still stuck in it by the end of the book and it isn't really addressed.

This would've been an excellent opportunity to speak up for the environment, for nature, point out how humans are destroying their only home planet. And yes all this was kinda a metaphor for that, but it should've been discussed more.

And the troll... I absolutely love mythology and was expecting to see (a lot of) elements of Finnish folklore, but this was a disappointment. The troll is so ridiculous that I can't take this seriously. It's supposed to be enchanting and beautiful piece of wild life, but in my head it looks like an ancestor of the Moomins. And the absolutely worst part of the book? They put the troll in children's jeans and took photos of it for an advertisement, and there where some elements of bestiality. Yuck.

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