I'm trying to think of something good to say about this book and nothing comes to mind. It is just terrible throughout.

First, the writing is very odd, almost as if it's a very unsuccessful translation or written by someone who is not a native English speaker.

Secondly, the blurb promises a story about the russification of Finland in 1902, which is not what it actually is. Instead, more than 50% of the book is a completely unrelated story about a 47-year-old doctor who is horny for a 16-year-old girl who he hires as his servant. The other portion is just unrelated chapters where nothing of importance happens. The author tried to create some political subplot (which should have been the FOCUS of the story), but it was basically incoherent rambling that went nowhere.

It's quite literally a book about nothing. She doesn't even provide any historical context to guide the reader and I suspect it's because she didn't know it either. The entire story feels like a wasted opportunity because no research was done to give it any substance.

The poor excuse for a story we do get in this book is underdeveloped, aimless, disconnected and jumpy. Take the doctor, for example. He sees Eeva once, hires him as his servant, ogles him a few times and suddenly he's presented as tormented by love. What love? There is nothing in the story to make the reader feel that it's anything other than a sudden onset of perverted horniness for a girl who could be his child.

Thirdly, the characters were all flat and had a one-track mind. All they did was live in their head and their inner monologue was identical. Even their own thoughts didn't develop from chapter to chapter.

And lastly, why is this titled House of Orphans? The orphanage was a minor part of the story and nothing was done with it. It served as filler for the doctor's parts, maybe to make him more likable so we'd forget he's an absolute pervert.