Aki Ollikainen’s WHITE HUNGER rights sold to Italy!

Set during Finland’s devastating Great Famine of 1866–1868, this powerful novel follows a mother and her two young children as they push onward through a merciless snowstorm toward the promise of St. Petersburg. With food gone and hope wearing thin, the endless winter strips people of dignity and forces them to confront choices that feel unthinkable from a modern perspective.

Running parallel to their journey are the lives of the Renqvist brothers, whose relative security offers no refuge from moral crisis. Teo, a physician, wrestles with faith as he witnesses unbearable suffering, while his brother Lars, an aide to a senator, suppresses doubt by placing his trust in authority. When these lives intersect, the stark realities of privilege and poverty collide—and amid profound hardship, an unexpected glimpse of humanity emerges.