Heaven

Piia Leino

The events of Heaven develop in 2058 in Helsinki. As a result of natural disasters and a civil war, the city was ruled by a totalitarian regime of Light. People hardly communicate, children are no longer born. There is no future, the past is forgotten. What is offered to the citizens by the Light as their only consolation, is Heaven — a paid virtual space where they can see the former and imaginary world, where everything is more attractive and orderly than ever before. But even the most impeccable illusion gives way to the thirst for real experiences. This is a novel about the power of nature where civilization is declining; about human relationships and fears; about the saving influence of memory and culture. The novel is melancholic, but life-affirming. It was awarded the Finnish Maailman laita Prize (2016) and the European Union Prize for Literature (2019).