Finnish writer Martta Kaukonen on film, fame, and fjords

Fêted on the literary scene, the Finnish film critic turned novelist still finds all the attention a little surreal, but that watching so many movies—and having an encouraging editor—helped her write

Otto Virtanen‬

Martta Kaukonen‬

Finnish writer Martta Kaukonen on film, fame, and fjords

Nesrein El-Bakhshawangy

last update on 13 Mar 2025

Martta Kaukonen is a Finnish author and film critic whose acclaimed first novel featured a serial killer in therapy. Born in 1976, she interviewed some A-list stars in her role as a journalist after graduating with a Master’s degree in Film and Television Studies from the University of Turku, but she is now more likely to be interviewed herself.

Her debut novel Terapiassa (Follow the Butterfly) was published in 2021, translated into multiple languages, and shortlisted for the Savonia Literature Prize, with the TV rights sold to a German production company. Her second novel, Sinun Varjossasi (In Your Shadow) came out in 2022, and her third novel Hengissä (In the Air), followed in 2023.

Al Majalla spoke to her about how her works often delve into psychological themes. Here is the conversation.

Tell us about your journey as a writer and what inspired you to start writing.

I had always thought that I would never write a book. As a film critic, I knew that writing is hard. I thought I couldn’t invent an interesting plot that goes on for 400 pages, or characters that would feel real, or surprising twists and so on.

One evening, lying in bed, a voice in my head began speaking the first lines of my book. I got up and dictated them into my phone, and the following day I started to write Terapiassa. When I began writing, I soon realised how the book would end, but I had absolutely no idea how to get from the beginning to the end. Then my book’s main character, Ida (a 20-year-old female serial killer), took me by the hand and led me.

Here is the cover of the original Finnish edition of the Follow the Butterfly (Terapiassa, design by Perttu Lämsä) and the cover of the British edition (design by @Kidethic). Which do you prefer? I love them both!@PushkinPress pic.twitter.com/Q846U9xSut
— Martta Kaukonen (@MarttaKaukonen) August 3, 2024

Your debut novel has been translated into multiple languages and even adapted into a TV series. How do you feel about its international success?

I’m a little overwhelmed, to be honest. It’s a known fact from psychology that even positive things can cause stress. Everything has happened so quickly, it is very hard to really keep up. It’s been surreal. It feels as if everything has happened to someone else, to someone else’s book.

I wanted to write a book for me—a book that I would want to read, and now people all over the world want to read it, but it took me a long time to realise that the book everyone loves is my book. One thing I especially enjoy is how differently people see the book. For some, it’s just a psychological thriller. For many, it is more than that. Now I get messages from readers all over the world telling me that it helped them come to terms with trauma. People relate to Ida. I couldn’t be happier!

You’ve worked as a film critic. How has this influenced your writing style and storytelling techniques?

I have seen more films than it is healthy for a person to see in one lifetime, so when I wrote my book, I didn’t have to consciously think about writing a psychological thriller because the format, structure, and stylistic devices of the genre came to me automatically. Everything was really easy. So, I owe it all to cinema, especially to my favourite genre: film noir.

Clarissa is the femme fatale of film noir movies, and Arto is the drunken journalist who usually ends up floating in the pool dead. My book is very visual. Readers tell me that when they read it, they saw the scenes as if watching a movie. Maybe that is why (production company) Legendary Tobis TV is making a series based on it.

One evening, lying in bed, a voice in my head began speaking the first lines of my book. I got up and dictated them into my phone. The next morning, I started writing.

Finish novelist Martta Kaukonen

Could you share some insights into your writing process? Do you have any routines that help you stay productive?

I constantly feel guilty about not writing enough. I often feel that I haven't done anything or that I don't know what I have been doing the whole day, but I don't want to write for hours on end. Instead, I want to go out walking or visit the library, or whatever, so I don't have to write. But somehow I have published four books in four years, so I must be doing something right!

It's always a nice surprise when my editor tells me that she thinks the book is ready. I can't remember which writer gave me this brilliant advice: when you stop writing, stop in the middle of a sentence. It's so much easier to resume writing when you can start by continuing the sentence.

Your books often explore psychological and emotional depths. What draws you to these themes, and how do you approach writing about them?

My mother is a retired psychologist. That's why I have always been interested in psychology. I thought I would study psychology at university, but when I saw the exam book, I changed my mind. It was a 1,000-page book on brain structure! So, I started to study cinema, because I was going to the cinema three times a week anyway.

I have always been interested in the so-called 'psychology of evil'. I have read so many books on this subject that when I started to write the novel I didn't have to do any research. I'm not so interested in how people become evil but more about how people try to see no evil and how they try to explain the evil away. In my book, therapist Clarissa says: "People have more sympathy for the evil person than his victims."

I'm not so interested in how people become evil, but more about how people try to explain evil away

Finish novelist Martta Kaukonen

What has been the most challenging aspect of your writing career so far, and how have you overcome it?

It was writing my first book! I didn't know if it would ever get published, so writing it was very stressful. I was afraid that the manuscript would end up in the rubbish and kept thinking: "What if no publisher likes my book?" Then I showed the first version to an editor of a big publishing house in Finland, and he became interested. I didn't get a publishing deal straight away, but he encouraged me and it got much easier to write.

Are there any authors or books that have significantly influenced your work?

There are so many! Everything by Gillian Flynn, of course. Tammy Cohen, Paula Hawkins, Julia Heaberlin, so many more. I only read American and British psychological thrillers. The first I ever read was To Die For by Joyce Maynard. It's a true story about a teacher who abuses her teenage pupil.

I read it 30 years ago when I was a student. I read it again when I published Butterfly and realised that, even decades later, it still owes a lot to this book. I have to mention the brilliant film version directed by Gus Van Sant. Nicole Kidman and Joaquin Phoenix are amazing as the teacher and pupil.

The future of Finnish cinema is now in the hands of women, who have huge momentum

Finish novelist Martta Kaukonen

Finnish cinema has had a resurgence in recent years, with films gaining international acclaim. What do you think has contributed to this revival, and how do you see the future of Finnish cinema evolving?

It's no coincidence that this resurgence has coincided with female directors having their movies funded. For decades, this was an inequality. The future of Finnish cinema is now in the hands of women, who have huge momentum. I understand that it is the same in Egypt, where women are making the most interesting movies at the moment. If you face inequality, your bottled energy just explodes on the screen!

Do you believe Finnish literature and film face similar challenges when trying to reach international audiences?

Yes. People still don't know enough about Finland. I was visiting the Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, England last summer. I was in the New Blood Panel for debut authors chaired by Ruth Ware. Four literary critics from Britain's biggest newspapers chose the panel. They read 200 books and chose four authors. It was amazing that my book was one of those four books that they loved.

The whole time at the festival, I told everyone that I was from Finland. When I met someone again, they said: "You're the author from Iceland!" I corrected them, then when we met a third time, they asked about fjords. Iceland has fjords, Finland doesn't. I thought it was hilarious! So, we Finns really should do a little more PR!

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