I can definitely see why Jeff likes this book, which is a series of letters written from an unknown correspondent to an unknown recipient, possibly a former lover. That may change, as Tainaron was nominated for both the World Fantasy Award and the International Horror Guild Award in 2005. Tainaron was originally published in Finland in 1985, and seems to be one of the few books by Krohn to be translated into English. Leena Krohn has been writing for years, and the book includes a long list of publications. Tainaron was recommended by Jeff VanderMeer - in fact, he had a special deal where he was selling copies of this book along with one of his (the Select Fire Remix of Secret Lives). And, like a poem, will have significance for some, be meaningless to others. I’m sure many will find this nonsensical, bizarre, maybe pointless, yet there’s something memorable and almost poetic about the book.

There’s something visceral in the narrative, making this a book with an amorphous emotional impact. The most obvious nuance is one of change. I’ve heard the character writing the letters is female, but I never picked up on that and saw the letter writer as male, lost and adrift, having travelled to Tainaron seeking a promise that may never be fulfilled unless it’s found within. We never know the recipient of these letters and only get to know the writer obliquely. The story from this Finnish prize-winning author is a fantasy told in a series of letters written by a foreign visitor and sent from an insect city. First, the copy I have is of a small hardback book that’s a delight to hold with an eye-catching slip cover, and drawings dotted throughout a fast read at only 124 pages.

Tainaron leena krohn