A Gothic tale of the macabre, with strong accents of cruelty, about the adventures of an irrepressible young woman named Zora Korteniemi, who combines traits of Pollyanna with those of the Marquis de Sade. Set in the fictional state of Karelia, on the murky border between Finland and Russia in the days of horseback and hearth fires, this surreal novel--inspired by Norse mythology--won the 2013 Robert-Cliche Prize. 2017.