Purge

There are lots of good and Purge, by Sofi Oksanen even excellent novels. But really stunning, exceptional novels are rare. Purge (original title Puhdistus), written by Finnish-Estonian playwright, novelist, and activist Sofi Oksanen, a writer mostly unknown in the English-speaking world, is such a novel. Purge is her third novel, and has received a lot of well-deserved attention. With this book, Oksanen (born 1977) was the first ever writer to win both of Finland’s prestigious literary prizes—the Finlandia and the Runeberg. Then this marvelous piece of writing went on to win the Nordic Council Literature Prize as well.