And the Stars Fall

Having grown up in a northern Finnish town with a predominantly Laestadian population, Anni becomes more familiar with her roots and this sect of Christianity while working on her master’s thesis. Immersing herself into her research is helping her process her recent, painful divorce. Anni is also doing her best to support her 15-year-old daughter Mirka, who has sought refuge in drugs and is spiraling out of control.

When Anni meets an interesting man online and Mirka finds a supportive therapy group, life appears to settle into new routines. Suddenly, however, controlling and cult-like elements begin to surface in Mirka’s therapy, and Anni becomes concerned: the threads of manipulation are both invisible and difficult to break. Meanwhile Anni is re-examining painful buried secrets from her childhood. The lives of both mother and daughter are pushed to the verge. Maria Peura writes potently and honestly about the fragile human mind and the nature of manipulation.