My book

Beasts of the Sea

“Sumptuous new historical fiction” – The New York Times

“Interesting, thoughtful, beautifully written” – The Guardian

“An important European novel” – Helsingin Sanomat

In 1741, naturalist and theologist Georg Wilhelm Steller joins the Great Northern Expedition, as Captain Vitus Bering and his crew scout out a sea route from Asia to America. Although they never reach the American mainland, they make a unique discovery: the Steller’s sea cow.

In 1859, Hampus Furuhjelm, the Finnish governor of the Russian territory of Alaska, sends his men to seek the skeleton of this massive marine mammal, rumored to have vanished a hundred years before. 

In 1952, John Grönvall, a restorer at what is now the Finnish Museum of Natural History, is assigned the task of refurbishing the skeleton of the Steller’s sea cow, which by now is extinct. 

Beasts of the Sea is a literary achievement and a breathtaking adventure through three centuries. Approaching natural diversity through individual destinies, it’s a story of grand human ambitions and the urge to resurrect what humankind in its ignorance has destroyed.

The novel has won numerous literary awards and attracted wide international attention. It was selected as the book of the month for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s Book Club, both The New York Times and The Times named it among the most compelling historical novels of the year, and ts international breakthrough has been acknowledged for example by The Bookseller.