Sven A. Linholm: Orbits (Volume II). Published by the author. 382 pages.

It sometimes happens in life—whether because of circumstances or for practical reasons—that people spend a large portion of their lives on everything except what really interests and fascinates them. Finally, at a mature age, they dedicate themselves to their preferred interest, to appear in public with startling self-confidence. One such person is the author of the novel under review.

Sven Linholm is a Toronto Estonian who speaks his mother tongue fluently, but in his writings he is more at home in English and prefers to express himself in it. The author spent his early childhood in a gold mining region of South-Africa where his father worked as a mining engineer. Later, having returned to Estonia, he studied at the Lycée Française and the English College. The arrival of Soviet power brought a great and decided change in his life. His stepfather, who had always encouraged and spurred him on to write, was arrested. In order to avoid betraying political friends under torture, he took his own life. The author escaped the new Red avalanche with the rest of the family to Germany, where he lived in the American Zone until emigrating to Great Britain. There he worked as a gardener and hospital worker while studying aeronautical engineering. Journey to Canada brought a great disappointment as the hoped-for job in aeronautics became unavailable. Cavalierly he rejected an offer to sweep the yard and started work as a realtor, while at the same time studying economics and architecture, which led to success in designing, building and selling houses.

The events of the novel take place mainly in St. Petersburg during the early years of the last century, on the eve of Russia’s Revolution of 1905. A farm lad of the province of Virumaa (in Estonia,), Jarmo Matson, whose prototype is the author’s step-father, has arrived in the Tsarist capital in search of higher education. Among the student body revolutionary fires are burning fiercely and the hero is constantly aware of them. He reacts to them with passive interest, since he feels obligated to direct his energies towards helping to establish an autonomous Estonia. His thoughts and dreams revolve around this problem which explains the subtitle “The Reluctant Revolutionary”.

Student life introduces him to many interesting types. The young man is attracted to a group called the “Circle of Friends”, led by a liberal-minded medical professor. There they discuss the problems of a slowly crumbling Tsarist Empire and attempt to create a vision of the seemingly inevitable coming of a New Russia. During the various discussions the youth reveals a practical mind and convincing powers of expressing himself, and consequently he becomes a certain de facto authority-figure. Still he refuses to play a leading role, leaving Russia’s problems for the Russians to solve. His friends and associates can’t understand and believe that a tiny Livonian province — or in the then parlance, “Borderland” — could ever dream of autonomy.

With a feeling of pure solidarity, Jarmo joins a students’ demonstration, where during a clash with Cossacks he is severely wounded but is nursed back to health through the care of the wealthy family of a fellow-student. Much of the intrigue of the novel revolves around that upper-stratum family and particularly around its female members. Jarmo can’t resist the charms of the bewitchingly beautiful daughter, Kira, who only toys with him. He sees through her egotistical game, but is not able to free himself of her and direct his attention to the girlish younger sister who loves him with a self-effacing directness. Added to those two is the charming and still youthful lady of the house whose seemingly innocent kiss sprinkles feelings a bit more than just motherly. At the same time the entrepreneurial man of the house invites Jarmo to become a partner in his business. From this “trap” Jarmo is “rescued” by being arrested for taking part in a students’ demonstration. For this he is convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment, which sentence is later commuted to exile through the backroom machinations of his wealthy benefactors.

The author is a smooth and captivating storyteller who has a rare gift to create believable and memorable types; not only with the leading characters but also with the supporting cast who come alive with just a few pen strokes. The same must also be said for the milieu, where events take place with which the author couldn’t possibly be familiar. He takes us to the aristocratic home of the Rogovs where he moves about as if he’s never lived in any other surroundings. We learn about the suffocating and almost sadistically egotistical Kira, the nuances of whose behaviour he describes with the minutest detail of a filigree. And then there is Irina, part tomboy who at times suddenly appears to be a mature woman, worrying over whether her mother might cross the boundaries of permitted mores in her relationship with Jarmo. Or when, in an attempt to help Jarmo escape from prison, she tarts herself up to look like a streetwalker and bribes the guard to leave for a while on the pretext she would have sex with Jarmo, but in reality she’s giving Jarmo instructions on how to escape from prison. There’s also the petite revolutionary actress Lyudmila Pudnitseva who at critical moments is helpful to Jarmo and with whom, from purely unselfish desire to surrender to him, she shares her bed. Or the consummate agitator Yakov Kupinski who uses his friendship with Jarmo to place him in an almost disastrous situation. Or the poet/police agent Kirill Bergmanov whose jealousy over Kira results in Jarmo’s arrest. But some other characters who are mentioned only in passing also take on life from the author’s pen. Let’s take Jarmo’s older sister Lea, who leaves their farm for Russia under mysterious circumstances, only to return after the family has suffered unspeakable disasters. On her return she brings along her son, born out of wedlock, whose existence she has been trying to keep from her parents to spare them from shame.

The reader shouldn’t be concerned that we are dealing with Volume II of the series. Delving into Volume II doesn’t call for knowledge of the first volume, which hasn’t yet been published. Its manuscript is completed and we dare hope that soon it will reach our reading desk. But the author speculates (and perhaps with good reason) that for the Estonian readership, Volume II offers more enjoyment thematically, and perhaps also for the English-speaking readership.

It should also be mentioned that the novel does not represent a biography. Although the prototype and the background are based on real life, the entire plot and intrigue of Volume II are completely the fruit of the author’s fantasy. Somewhat disturbing are the Estonian place-names used, which the author has arbitrarily changed at his own discretion and which don’t feel Estonian enough. The same thing reflects from some given names (Kristian, Joannes). Still, those are only small blemishes. If one were to overlook them, the only reproach to the author would be his failure to appear in public sooner. It is to be hoped that some day the novel will be published in Estonian and becomes available to the public in the homeland. But we are all painfully aware of the difficulties involved there.

The book is available from estore on the main floor of the Toronto Estonian House. It remains for me to leave the spotlight — which I can’t do without respectfully bowing to the author — and give the public a chance to greet him with applause. I dare predict that, in the end, the ovation will be strong and fully earned.

(Translation from the original Estonian, which appeared in Eesti Elu No. 37, September 10th 2004 — ESTONIAN LIFE).

Orbits (Volume II) is also available from the author, phone 416 481-0212, e-mail

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