They Know Not What They Do

by Jussi Valtonen, Kristian London (Translator)

Overview

Winner of the 2014 Finlandia Prize

A FAMILY UNDER THREAT. A FATHER'S WORST NIGHTMARE...

On the surface, Joe Chayefski has it all. A great job, a beautiful wife and two perfect daughters. But when the lab he works in as a neuroscientist is attacked, Joe is forced to face the past and reconnect with the son he abandoned twenty years earlier.

As Joe struggles to deal with the sudden collision of his two lives, he soon finds he needs to take drastic action to save the people he loves.

Gripping and suspenseful, They Know Not What They Do skilfully weaves together the big issues of the day- the relationship between science and ethics, and people's increasing inability to communicate - into an ambitious page-turner of a novel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786073532
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	11/13/2018
Edition description:	MMP
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Jussi Valtonen is an author and psychologist from Helsinki. He studied neuropsychology in the United States and screenwriting in the UK. His previous works include two novels and a short story collection. He currently lives in New York.

Kristian London is an American translator who divides his time between Seattle and Helsinki.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A mind-blowing work. It illuminates modern life with a rare sense of perception."

—Finlandia Prize Judge Professor Anne Brunila

"Contemporary fiction simply doesn't get better than this. A stunning work."

—Helsingin Sanomat

Editorial Reviews

‘The novel addresses a multitude of themes wrapped up in a carefully plotted story with a thread of suspense running through it... The organisations whose tentacles are deeply embedded in so many aspects of our lives are unsettlingly well drawn – step forward Google – and the plotting is cleverly executed.’

A Life in Books

'Contemporary literature simply doesn’t get better than this. A stunning work.'

Finland Helsingin Sanomat

'They Know Not What They Do is neither indulgent, nor self-satisfied, nor glib, but charts its own course toward an understanding of contemporary society and the importance of perspective. And a page turner to boot – huzzah!'

Words Without Borders

'This hugely ambitious work of contemporary realism offers a dramatic warning about the influence of digital culture.'

Booklist

'Remarkable... Valtonen’s grip on plot and character is so masterful that his storytelling easily contains his restless speculation about influences on how we live now and where we might end up as our old value systems begin to crumble.'

World Literature Today Anna Paterson

'A hugely ambitious book. Literary fiction meets sci-fi meets thriller in a gripping exploration of animal rights, the light and dark of new technologies, international academia, and the dynamics within modern families. Excellent.'

author of Dark Pines Will Dean

'They Know Not What They Do is an arresting study of the relationship between science and ethics, and of people’s inability to communicate with one another.'

Finlandia Prize 2014 jury

'Smart, slightly futuristic, nicely plotted.'

Mail on Sunday

'An ambitious, nuanced plea for compassion.'

Belgium De Standaard

‘This is one of the most satisfying literary thrillers I have read, and I am not surprised it won the Finlandia Prize.’

BookOxygen blog

‘Classy and engrossing drama.’

Daily Mail

'They Know Not What They Do speaks to a large audience. There are few contemporary novels that can address both adolescents and middle-aged people, university professors and young green activists, parents and children, Europeans and Americans. [...] Different opinions collide, but no one is right and no one is wrong. They simply see things differently, as if they were living in another dimension. That's what their tragedy is about.'

Hungary Olvass bele literary blog

'A portrait of our society and a futuristic thriller, the Finnish writer Jussi Valtonen draws a picture of our times as brilliant as it is chilling.'

France L’Express

'Valtonen creates a frightening dystopian suspense that keeps readers spellbound, all the while inciting them to reflect on ethics and morals.'

France L’Obs

‘An engaging and fascinating exploration of the difficulties of modern parenting in the face of social media and technological advancements.’

author of The Pictures Guy Bolton

'This Scandinavian thriller is the perfect read for long winter nights. Winner of the 2014 Finlandia Prize, They Know Not What They Do weaves family drama and high stakes with chilling results.'

Paste

'They Know Not What They Do is a great novel that shows ambition and the willingness to take risks.'

Austria Sand am Meer

'Well-crafted... They Know Not What They Do is a page-turner, skilfully translated by Kristian London.'

Otago Daily Times (New Zealand)

'One of the most extraordinary books of recent times.'

Hungary Könyvutca

'A thrilling, full-fledged, revolutionary, well-crafted work.'

Vilmos Csányi

'A perfect novel for our time, They Know Not What They Do is a satirical critique of our contemporary infatuation with innovation, fuelled by corporate greed and a desire to do everything faster. With a sympathetic hand, Valtonen skillfully creates a perfect storm of ethical conundrums...all tied into a cautionary tale about a man struggling with the consequences of his decisions.'

Shelf Awareness

'A contemporary novel that doesn’t lose sight of perennial dilemmas.'

Kirkus

'A portrait of our society and a futuristic thriller, the Finnish writer Jussi Valtonen draws a picture of our times as brilliant as it is chilling.'

France LExpress

'One of the most extraordinary books of recent times.'

Hungary Könyvutca

'Valtonen creates a frightening dystopian suspense that keeps readers spellbound, all the while inciting them to reflect on ethics and morals.'

France LObs

'A thrilling, full-fledged, revolutionary, well-crafted work.'

Vilmos Csányi

'A thrilling, full-fledged, revolutionary, well-crafted work.'

Vilmos Csányi

'One of the most extraordinary books of recent times.'

Hungary Könyvutca

'Valtonen creates a frightening dystopian suspense that keeps readers spellbound, all the while inciting them to reflect on ethics and morals.'

France L’Obs

'A portrait of our society and a futuristic thriller, the Finnish writer Jussi Valtonen draws a picture of our times as brilliant as it is chilling.'

France L’Express

'This hugely ambitious work of contemporary realism offers a dramatic warning about the influence of digital culture.'

Booklist

'This Scandinavian thriller is the perfect read for long winter nights. Winner of the 2014 Finlandia Prize, They Know Not What They Do weaves family drama and high stakes with chilling results.'

Paste

‘Classy and engrossing drama.’

Daily Mail

"A mind-blowing work. It illuminates modern life with a rare sense of perception."

—Finlandia Prize Judge Professor Anne Brunila

"Contemporary fiction simply doesn't get better than this. A stunning work."

—Helsingin Sanomat

2017-09-17
American and Finnish families struggle with technology, immigration, and the unintended consequences of their own actions.Renowned neurologist Joe Chayefski is a man with many problems, some familiar and some more exotic. His wife is buried in her work, his daughters hide in their rooms or behind their electronic devices, and mysterious figures have started to harass him and his family, protesting against his ethically dubious experiments on animals. The last problem seems connected, somehow, to his ex-wife in Finland and their child, whom Joe effectively abandoned years ago. For his first book translated into English, the Finnish novelist Valtonen has written a big social novel about upper-middle-class life today. Its villains are the standard baddies of the genre: unscrupulous tech companies, media monopolies, pharmaceutical firms, and terrorists. Its protagonists suffer from malaise, alienation, cultural misunderstandings, and the unintended consequences of their actions in a world too big and complicated to control. Although the social problems in Valtonen's novel are old news (gadgets meant to bring us together really push us apart!), novels like his stand or fall, ultimately, on their characters. Do they reward attention over hundreds and hundreds of pages? In this case, yes. Some of Valtonen's characters—namely Joe, his ex-wife, Alina, and their son, Samuel—are complex yet coherent, self-reflective and self-deceived in equal measure. They remain mysteries to each other and to themselves. These are problems older than digital technology. And for novelists, they are far deeper and more fruitful.A contemporary novel that doesn't lose sight of perennial dilemmas.

Kirkus Reviews