The Black Tongue

A haunting horror novel about loneliness and its consequences.

Numerous people have disappeared in the town of Vaasa over the years. In desperation, the police turn to a local medium for help. In spiritualist sessions, the police find out about things that the whole city has been silent about for a long time. Four objects tell four overlapping stories about nine victims.

With a keen eye for detail in everyday life and local history, Hautala creates interesting characters who are each broken or lonely in some way. He writes about the permanence of generational traumas and the rites of passage between childhood, youth, and adulthood in rich and imaginative language, revealing just the right amount and leaving enough in the shadows. The result is a literary horror novel that will chill you to the spine.