Publisher's Synopsis
"The Lemminkainen's are a family in turmoil. Uprooted from their home by religious fanaticism, they embark on a voyage that will take them from the shores of their coastal Canadian village to upstate New York in the early twentieth century. Life in the new world is simple. They live and work off the land, in seclusion on a mountain, and eventually bring over relatives from back home. As their atheistic cult-like community grows in numbers, so too do the problems they face. Drug abuse, mental illness, and the allure of oil riches all threaten to derail the family. But it's ultimately the youngest member of the tribe's acceptance of spiritual salvation that creates a seemingly insurmountable schism throughout the family. The Devil Around Us charts the rise and fall of five generations of this extended clan of Finnish descendants. Will the younger Lemminkainen's adapt to a new, more modern, world and lead the way out of their isolation or will their old traditions prevail?"
