Born into a violent home in early-1900s Finland, Antti Myllysilta learns to kill to survive. Gifted in languages, he grows up reading widely and observing human nature. Just before the 1918 Finnish Civil War, Antti’s Red Finn brothers ambush the farm of White sympathizer Jussi Mantere and murder his mother. Jussi kills all four brothers, but Antti escapes. During the war, Antti spies for the Reds while fighting alongside the Whites. What he sees and does in the war disgusts him, and he vows, No son of mine will ever go to war. At last, peace is declared. Antti emigrates to Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada, where many Finns already live—including Jussi Mantere. Now known as Andrew Millbridge, Antti Myllysilta builds a new life—marriage, a family, and successful (if not strictly legal) businesses. Then a new World War looms, threatening his son’s safety. Over time, his daughter loses confidence in her father’s sanity. And always, Millbridge wonders when Jussi Mantere will at last seek revenge for the murders in their shared past. The Devil’s Violin: Myllysilta’s History is a story of surviving and thriving, of love and heartbreak, and of the wisdom of leaving past songs unsung.

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Roy Blomstrom, born in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay), Ontario, is the son of Finland-Swede parents who lived through the Finnish Civil War and later emigrated to Canada. He has published poetry, stories, and essays, and his ten-minute plays have been produced in Thunder Bay, Helsinki, and at the Brighton Fringe Festival. He is grateful for support from the Ontario Arts Council for several of his works, including Silences: A Novel of the 1918 Finnish Civil War and his multiverse speculative fiction novel, The Iterations of Caroline.