Finland

The narrative of Dog Park proceeds in two timelines, with one storyline set in modern-day Finland and the other in the former USSR. The plot centers on the global fertility market (i.e., egg donors, surrogacy) and its ethical implications, building an implicit metaphor with dog breeding. Some aspects of the book that caught my intention: Olenka was a truly unreliable narrator, with unexpected bits of information about her history/actions/motivations regularly dropping in, providing some drama + suspense that contrasted with the soothing, relatively serene reading of the novel. Another striking aspect of the novel was how viscerally Oksanen conveyed the tension between Olenka's guilt, resentment, need for forgiveness with Daria, her family, her colleagues and clients... the constant fluctuating internal dialogue of excuses, justifications, resolutions, frustrations, and apologies is such a relatable experience, and one that is not usually spoken. Overall, I did sort of struggle with following the actual plot, but that’s probably because I was Listening While Distracted (TM).