Juhani Brander’s distinctive novel THE PROMISED LAND, set in the post-war Turku archipelago, is linguistically polished, lyrical and, in places, exhilaratingly poignant. The events, peering into magical realism, are touchingly and believably described from the perspective of a young boy raised by a grandmother. The islanders’ idiosyncratic community and its ultimate ethos of survival is wonderfully portrayed in an airy dialogue of fact and fiction. A poignant, evocative work that will stay with you in your dreams.