Brilliant author. Brilliant book.
Good interview in English here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

The Estonian title is "Puhastus" I can't help thinking that "Purge" is a weird translation of the title: Buliminics "purge" themselves, Stalin "purged" the Soviet political apparatus (several times...), Dante sent redeemable sinners to "Purgatory".

I don't get the sense that the original title was a euphemism for anything (that wd not be like Ms. Oksanen). So I guess its a marketing thing : who would buy a book entitled "Cleaning" or "Cleansing" ?

It is a fine book with an intriguing premise, but I haven't been able to finish it - there are just too many flashbacks to keep track of - it isn't the sort of book I can put down for a couple of days and pick up where I left off.

What is most interesting is the way it imports the grim fatalism of Finnish literature to Estonia. I personally hope it doesn't take root and flourish (a few scraggy thickets here and there might be ok) as I much prefer the irrational exuberance (or is that the "exuberant irrationality" ?) of our home- and exile- grown products.