I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Finna by Nino Cipri Published by Tor.com on February 25 2020
Genres: Adult, Science fiction, LGBTQ+
Pages: 144
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Wormholes, a missing grandmother, relationship drama and even some eldritch god horror infuse this short and lively novella with excitement and heart.
Finna was a lot of wacky fun, with some surprisingly thoughtful emotional moments and commentary on identity. I wasn’t sure all these disparate elements would mesh together, but by the end of the story I was completely convinced. Nino Cipri is a nonbinary author, and they have written an insightful, #ownvoices story dealing with the challenges of navigating through life in a world where many people don’t understand how hurtful some labels can be. This is also a story about wormholes and multiple universes and takes place in an IKEA-like big box store, so don’t be scared off by any perceived heavy content, because heavy this is not.
Ava and Jules just broke up, but unfortunately they still work together at big box store LitenVärld. One day as Ava is filling in for another coworker on her day off and trying to avoid running into Jules, an elderly customer goes missing in the store. Management seems to know exactly what’s happened and calls a meeting to inform the LitenVärld employees that a “maskhål,” or wormhole, has opened up in the store and the customer has most likely wandered through it. Because Ava and Jules are the two employees with the least seniority, they are “volunteered” to enter the wormhole and find Ursula, the missing customer. Armed with a strange device called a FINNA—which supposedly will lead them to Ursula—Ava and Jules set out on a wild adventure full of alternate universes, killer furniture and elder gods who demand payment in blood. Along the way, they try to work out their differences and get some sage advice from a ship’s captain who just might be another version of the missing Ursula.
I couldn’t help but compare this story to Grady Hendrix’s Horrorstör, which is another tale set in an IKEA-like store where lots of bad things happen. Luckily, Cipri has a completely different take on the idea, and I enjoyed this so much. The idea of wormholes connecting the different display rooms in LitenVärld was so clever, and trust me when I say I’m going to be very careful next time I visit IKEA and wander through the store! I loved the idea of the FINNA, the device that can “find” missing people. It’s sort of a steampunk contraption that comes complete with instructions for use in every language EXCEPT the one you speak–and of course, a handy pictograph section as well, just like the ones for putting IKEA furniture together. And I love how Cipri pokes fun at how easy it is to get lost in the store, which explains why there are so many wormholes in LitenVärld. It all made sense in a crazy way!
I was happy to find, however, that this story is more than just a fluffy, fun romp through universes. Cipri gives us an interesting love story as well—and when I say “interesting,” I mean that a lot of stories don’t tackle that awkward phase in a relationship where it seems to be over, yet both parties are struggling to turn it into something else, something new. Ava and Jules may have fallen out of love, but as most of us know, it’s just not that simple. It takes a couple of wormholes and a very wise ship’s captain to show Ava that perhaps there is life after a break-up, and the author does this in such a wonderful way.
Cipri also did a great job of focusing on a nonbinary character who is, frankly, sick and tired of having to explain themselves. Despite the fact that Jules has pronoun information written on their LitenVärld name tag, customers are constantly misgendering them and their patience is wearing thin. Some of the dialog surrounding Jules’ ongoing frustration is really funny—”She managed to misgender me four times in two minutes”—but it’s that sad kind of funny where you just want to give Jules a hug. And Ava has anxiety, so there’s a bit of mental health rep in the story as well.
This was a quick read that I managed to finish in only a couple of hours, and that would be my only complaint—it just seemed too short. Finna is fast paced and jumps from place to place with barely any time for the reader to catch their breath. A lot of things are thrown into the mix to create a weird mish-mash of weirdness: man-eating furniture, a restaurant where you have to pay with your blood, a Lovecraftian god called “Mother” who might be trying to destroy the world, and lots more. I have to admit all these elements together sort of made my head spin and I think a little more time with each one would have made the transitions smoother.
But overall this was so much fun. Cipri has a biting sense of humor, the kind I love, but they also know when to inject their story with heart and emotion. I would be very interested to see what the author can do with a novel-length story, so here’s hoping Nino Cipri is hard at work on their next project!
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Sounds awesome! Which is probably why Tor never gives me anything. They know I like things that are good. How much does it jump around? Like, can you get lost in where it’s going or does it tell a coherent story?
I wouldn’t say it jumps around, necessarily, but the characters move around a lot, and they don’t stay in one place very long. We get to see some cool worldbuilding elements but I wanted to slow down and spend a little more time with each one.
I love a little humor with my science fiction. Good review!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…Guest Post: How Urban Legends Shaped My Newest Story by Yawatta Hosby
Me too, humor is great when it’s well done:-)
I’m going to add this one. I recently listened to Horrorstor and mostly enjoyed it. The narrator was pretty engaging and it had a good ending. This sounds like a lot of fun. I’m curious what’s to be found on the other side of the wormhole!
It’s definitely a lot of fun, and I loved the relationship stuff between Ava and Jules, it added a little something extra.
Glad to hear you liked it, Tammy! I wished it elwas longer as well. I can’t wait to see what Cipri does next.
Me too, I love finding new authors and then trying to wait patiently for their next book!
You know, this has some Hitchhikers’ Guide vibes that make me want to grab it straight away and read it!
And I’m hardly surprised at the concept that an IKEA-like store might have wormholes in it, because the actual stores do have some strange layout that at times can be confusing if you don’t watch for the direction arrows on the floow… 😀
Thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@Spaceandsorcery recently posted…Short Story: PRECIOUS LITTLE THINGS, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I agree, I’ve definitely gotten turned around a time or two in IKEA, so the whole wormhole idea is brilliant:-)
I loved their writing! So much fun. I haven’t been to an Ikea in awhile and this book makes me want to go! Ha!
Great review at always, Tammy.
We should all go visit IKEA and see if we can find any wormholes, lol:-)
Hahahahha!!! That would be rad!
Let’s go!
This reminds me a little about Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy but I feel it has the potential to be even better than that? It sounds wacky and awesome!!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…ARC Review: Once a Myth by Pepper Winters
Yes, you’re right, it’s got some Hitchhiker’s humor for sure:-)
Wormholes in a store! I love it. This does sound like a lot of fun. 🙂
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It was! Thanks for visiting, Lark:-)
That seems like an awful lot to pack into 144 pages… but I’m in. Sounds like great fun, and I think we can all use a little fun in our fiction, at least every so often. I also thought of Horrorstör when I read the description, but I’ve not yet read that one, either. I’d like to try both.
They are really completely different stories, but both worth reading.
A cracking review, Tammy and I love the sound of this one – BUT then I got to the bit where your grumble was that it was too short as a novella… And so I’m going to – reluctantly – pass. I HATE it when I’ve got my teeth into a wonderful world that ends too soon, so I shan’t. *sigh…*
Alas, novellas will always be short! But it was fun while it lasted:-)
I love the sound of this! And the biting humor too sounds like icing on the cake. 🙂 Seriously though- an IKEA like store, wormholes, the rep… there’s a lot packed into this novella, sounds like, but I definitely want to read it now!
Greg recently posted…Alone in the Wild
It’s so much fun, I mean you can’t really go wrong with a humorous story about wormholes:-)
Your Horrorstor comparison actually intrigued me, even though the stories are very different!
I ultimately thought Horrorstor was better, but maybe because it was longer and had more room to develop the world building.
I love the sound of this and I was trying to figure out if it was the other book (repackaged) that you mention in the review – Horrorstor. The concept sounds really good and like something I would enjoy – thanks so much because this wasn’t on my radar at all. NGL – I don’t think the cover would have pulled me in but now I’ve read your review I can see how it works. And, killer furniture – oh yes, I’ve had some flat packs that have definitely nearly killed me so I can see where that idea came from.
Lynn 😀
I actually think the cover is very clever. It’s subtle but it works well.
Great review. I really want to read this now. It sounds like my cuppa tea.
Laura Thomas recently posted…Dagana: The Last Mermaid ~ Spotlight and Giveaway
I can see you enjoying this:-)
That’s a shame that this is just a novella because it sounds like a fun read and that it could have been truly amazing if it had been developed a little more.
It definitely could have been longer, I think there is a lot going on for such a short book. But still, tons of fun!
Yay for nonbinary authors and therefore LGBT+ themes in science fiction! Ooh, I totally see how you compared to Horrorstor but I am glad that this one stood on it’s own feet and went in a different direction. Identity is actually one of my favourite themes to read about in books, probably because it is important to me, so I will have to look into this one more!
Olivia Roach recently posted…The Very Hungry Bookworm #1
Definitely, I loved the #ownvoices rep in this book, and I’d love to find more books with non-binary characters to read.
I kept hearing about this book but had no idea with it was about. I have to say after reading your review this sounds like something I’d probably enjoy. Will definitely have to keep this one in mind!
Oh, helloooo. You had me at eldritch god horror. Yes, please. Where do I sign? I’m gonna be honest and say that if I’d just read the blurb, I probably wouldn’t have thought about this one, because it sounds like it’s trying to do a lot and ehhhh. But you definitely sell it. xD Added this to my TBR!
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I’m reading this now. I’m having a little trouble connecting with it, but I’m anxious to see how it ends.
Finna sounds like a fun book. I have been wanting to read it for a while. I like books like this that bring disparate elements together.
I might not have picked this one up on my own, but now that I’ve read your review, I’m interested. Humor and social commentary. Thanks.