Jacob’s Ladder
A captivating novella takes you through the ancient myths and snowfalls right into the heart of humanity.
A man gets a phone call: his brother is being treated at a psychiatric hospital in Jerusalem and needs an escort to get home. Upon arrival, the man stays in his brother’s rented apartment on the outskirts of the old town and finds his grandfather, who served as a sailor’s priest, old notebook.
The notebook has a mysterious entry: Jacob’s Ladder. The entry begins to fascinate the man, and it makes him travel deeper and deeper into the city. A psychotherapist who spends his nights on the roof terrace acts as a travel guide. But why can you smell the lilac during in winter in Jerusalem? Why did the man actually arrive there?
Publishing information
Awards & nominations
Nominations
2023
Runeberg Prize
Reviews
"The plot of the book is simple and followed effortlessly, it progresses steadily and it is always lovely to return to the story. Therefore, this book should not be read during one sitting but you should always again immerse yourself into it! … The timelessness of Jacob’s Ladder reminded me of how pointlessly running through life always ends you up in the same place as others. You have merely forgotten to look at the lilacs on your right and left and lost a part of the beauty life has to offer."
"Haahtela’s text is simultaneously thoughtful, classically timeless, poetic, and rejects today’s trends. There is a ripple of something greater than the human being in the background. … In this flimsy contemporary world, Haahtela’s book is a refreshing read. The human being is comprised of a lot, but he is not invincible."
"Despite interweaving thoughts and memories, Jacob’s Ladder has a chronologically clear structure. The language is also meticulous, thought-out, and vivid. You follow mental associations right till the end with a soothingly steady rhythm. Powerful ideas are ostensibly concise in their expression. However, there appears an ethereal reality between the lines. … As the story progresses, the fascination with mysteries opens – a simultaneous presence and absence, familiarity and foreignness, openness and evasiveness."
"Joel Haahtela's (b. 1972) short novel Jacob's Ladder (Otava) is a gentle and gracious portrayal of the human quest and mysteries, not all of which need to be answered. The narrator brings the reader close to the text, embedding the reader in the story's landscape. Haahtela successfully utilizes the short length, simultaneously capturing the clarity and beauty of language. The short novel, which concludes the three-part series, works well as a stand-alone work in both terms of structure and themes."
"If memories intertwine and intermingle, love is something Haahtela continues to have faith in. The end of Jacob's Ladder beautifully leads towards the memory of the narrator's mother's love. What is fascinating is the idea that love does not disappear but remains within the world."
"Jacob's Ladder is an astonishingly gentle work. It is refreshing to read text that is neither cynical nor ironic. The book's atmosphere is both realistically believable and fairytale-like."
"An immersed reader can feel the love bound up in Haahtela's text. In some people's minds, it transforms into the love of God, in others it makes them explore the recesses of their own minds, perhaps bringing to the surface feelings they have been hiding from themselves. All meaningful experiences."
"Despite the intersection of thoughts and memories, the structure of Jacob's Ladder (Otava, 2022) is clear in its chronology. The language is also precise, thoughtful and accurately descriptive. The associations are followed through to the end with a reassuringly steady rhythm. Large ideas are given a seemingly compact form. But between the lines, there is an airy reality of its own."
"Jacob's Ladder fills with lovingkindness. The presence of universal love experienced by the narrator towards the end of the book offers comfort to the narrator, and within the same comfort, it wraps me, the reader. The boundaries of losses and memories can blur, become whole and yet be in motion, in flux. There is something inexplicably magical about the narrative because it does not strike me as rambling or foolish. (...) Jacob's Ladder is just that - and a handsome end to the trilogy. The spirit of the story remains sincere throughout the book. So I have experienced beautiful fiction, thank you."
"The plot of the book is simple and easy to follow, it progresses at a leisurely pace and is a delight to return to several times. (...) There is peace in the book if that is what you can say about a book. (...) Jacob's Ladder is one of the best domestic works I have read."
"Respect for life's incomprehensible mysteries and wonder go hand in hand, both in this and the other works of the trilogy."
"Despite its mysteriousness, Jacob's Ladder is an approachable novel about everyday life. (...) While reading Haahtela, the world feels good and beautiful for a moment. People are kind and helpful to each other, the sad are comforted, and those in need of community are not left alone."
