Agatha Zaza: The English Speakers

Join us at the Saarikoski rug at Oodi Library on 9 November at 17.00 for a chat with Agatha Zaza about her new novel, The English Speakers (2026, Datura Books). Charlie, James and Aija are three police detectives in Helsinki who are drawn together because each is feels somehow alienated in Helsinki’s police force. When the fifteen-year-old remains of a young American woman are discovered, Charlie and Aija are faced with a complex case that involves a older version of Helsinki that has now faded. Then an apparent suicide throws suspicion upon one of their own and forces Charlie, James and Aija to ask how well they know each other – and what crimes, large and small, they may be guilty of. The English Speakers explores the consequences of violence and the role language plays in friendship and belonging in modern-day Helsinki. Our evening will explore questions at the centre of the novel such as how we carry trauma, writing about a city you whose language you cannot understand, and the joys of the nuances of identity beyond Black and White, or, Finnish and foreign born. For more information please go to @agathazaza on Instagram. Event details Wednesday, 9 November at 17.00 Oodi Library, Helsinki