'Surreal, sharp and deeply moving, Under a Fur Coat is a novel of outstanding reach and polish. A distinct and dazzling new gothic' JULIA ARMFIELD
I became obsessed with Seurasaari, with the curative properties I assigned to it in my desperation for an action, a ritual - something that could fix everything...
Vivienne, a photographer from Manchester, arrives at a boarding house on a tiny Finnish island hoping to rekindle her creativity and heal her broken heart. Instead, she misses her wife. Her camera hangs at her side unused. And her fellow guests keep inviting her into the forest.
Vivienne quickly grows close with Ilya, the affable caretaker, and Gagarin, a rebellious mycologist. And when Gagarin confesses she's searching for a mythical bracket fungus - the Bigfoot of mushrooms - Vivienne throws herself headfirst into the cause.
The days pass in a blur of snow and birch trees and vodka. Yet the longer Vivienne spends in the forest, the more it consumes her. Haunted by lost time, inexplicable acts of violence, and rising tensions among the guests, Vivienne begins to suspect there's something darker behind Gagarin's determination. Because ambition always requires sacrifice. She's just not sure whose...
SHORTLISTED FOR THE PFD QUEER FICTION PRIZE 2024 Sonya Vatomsky is a writer living in Manchester, England.
Sonya was born in the Soviet Union and grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where they studied Linguistics and Finnish at the University of Washington. They are a member of the Horror Writers Association and have been published in Brave New Weird: The Best New Weird Horror; their nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Smithsonian Magazine. In 2024, they were shortlisted for the PFD Queer Fiction Prize. They are the author of SALT IS FOR CURING, a poetry collection. UNDER A FUR COAT is their first novel. Under a Fur Coat is an art novel with obsession at its heart and folklore around the edges. It takes place in a Finnish forest. Literary recognition: Shortlisted for the 2024 PFD Queer Fiction prize. Atmospheric Scandi setting: A captivating snowy setting in Finland's isolated wilderness
