Loukko by 
Original title: Erään kissan tutkimuksia
Author: Katja Kettu
Published: 2023
Publisher: Otava
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 380
Reading material:
English sample and synopsis, German edition, Finnish edition, Norwegian edition
Katja Kettu’s stunning novel spins through the ages whilst surrendering to the wilderness of nature and the deep yearning for offspring.
Can one find solace and meaning in life from the past once the future no longer exists?
An Author has a miscarriage and loses their ability to speak and write. From the Investigative Bureau of Heavens, a Detective is sent to the scene, but something goes awry. Then, in the corner of the room, there appears Cat examining a mysterious diary that once belonged to the Author’s great grandmother.
When a new life has been lost, the Author turns their gaze to the past and to the age-old words of creation in the old Finnish outskirts. The one who knows them, Great Grandmother, has the power of healers. Great Grandmother’s diary sheds light on birth and death, love towards children, and the strength of heritage in one’s blood.
Combining autofiction and elements of magical realism, Katja Kettu’s latest novel also sheds light on the history of the Finnish frontiers.
"Already the first scenes of Katja Kettu’s novel are luscious. The novel has a feeling of rebirth. Kettu not only describes the return of the author’s own voice but also shows it in practice, in her own text. It carries with it a ferocious desire for creation. What can one say of humans, the relationships between them, the world around them? With what language and narration? These are the things that matter most for a reader. In line with the motto of the book “who has the word, has the power” Kettu describes the phases of her family but also her own experiences of childlessness, relationships, writing and the desire for isolation it brings. The reading experience is powerful."
– Parnasso literary magazine
Katja Kettu has written a wonderful novel in which the power of words brings justice to the world. It isn’t harmless or beautiful, but the novel approaches words as a form of magic. [–] And what about the cat and its investigations? “Let the Cat come, let it take over my novel. I’m the one who’s weak here. Cats know a lot and care about little.” The Cat takes over the novel and is turned into a novel, and now it sticks out, funny and teasing, and difficult in so many ways.
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat newspaper
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Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
CZECHIA: Argo
DENMARK: Lindhardt og Ringhof
ESTONIA: Koolibri
GERMANY: Weissbooks
HUNGARY: Gondolat
ITALY: Mondadori
NORWAY: Pax Forlag
POLAND: Swiat Ksiazki
ROMANIA: Humanitas
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
