Synopsis
'Surreal, sharp and deeply moving, Under a Fur Coat is a novel of outstanding reach and polish. A distinct and dazzling new gothic' JULIA ARMFIELD
I became obsessed with Seurasaari, with the curative properties I assigned to it in my desperation for an action, a ritual - something that could fix everything...
Vivienne, a photographer from Manchester, arrives at a boarding house on a tiny Finnish island hoping to rekindle her creativity and heal her broken heart. Instead, she misses her wife. Her camera hangs at her side unused. And her fellow guests keep inviting her into the forest.
Vivienne quickly grows close with Ilya, the affable caretaker, and Gagarin, a rebellious mycologist. And when Gagarin confesses she's searching for a mythical bracket fungus - the Bigfoot of mushrooms - Vivienne throws herself headfirst into the cause.
The days pass in a blur of snow and birch trees and vodka. Yet the longer Vivienne spends in the forest, the more it consumes her. Haunted by lost time, inexplicable acts of violence, and rising tensions among the guests, Vivienne begins to suspect there's something darker behind Gagarin's determination. Because ambition always requires sacrifice. She's just not sure whose...
SHORTLISTED FOR THE PFD QUEER FICTION PRIZE 2024
I became obsessed with Seurasaari, with the curative properties I assigned to it in my desperation for an action, a ritual - something that could fix everything...
Vivienne, a photographer from Manchester, arrives at a boarding house on a tiny Finnish island hoping to rekindle her creativity and heal her broken heart. Instead, she misses her wife. Her camera hangs at her side unused. And her fellow guests keep inviting her into the forest.
Vivienne quickly grows close with Ilya, the affable caretaker, and Gagarin, a rebellious mycologist. And when Gagarin confesses she's searching for a mythical bracket fungus - the Bigfoot of mushrooms - Vivienne throws herself headfirst into the cause.
The days pass in a blur of snow and birch trees and vodka. Yet the longer Vivienne spends in the forest, the more it consumes her. Haunted by lost time, inexplicable acts of violence, and rising tensions among the guests, Vivienne begins to suspect there's something darker behind Gagarin's determination. Because ambition always requires sacrifice. She's just not sure whose...
SHORTLISTED FOR THE PFD QUEER FICTION PRIZE 2024
Details
24 September 2026
9781786586513Imprint: Manilla Press
Reviews
Surreal, sharp and deeply moving, Under a Fur Coat is a novel of outstanding reach and polish. A distinct and dazzling new gothic.
Vatomsky takes us on a brilliantly visceral journey of what it means to rearrange your life after heartbreak slices it in two. Under a Fur Coat is simply mesmerising - an account of what it's like to face some of our deepest fears. I want to stay lost in the cold, dark woods with Vivienne, Gagarin and Ilya.
Steeped in folkloric mystery and longing, this is a book pulled directly from the earth. I loved it.
Crawling with folky unease, Under A Fur Coat is a stunning debut. Vatomsky magically balances the eerie with the hilarious, creating characters that I'm desperate to follow into the woods. The landscape dazzles and the folklore they explore is classic storytelling at its best. I've never read anything like it.
