Sunpath
Michael Maryk
A fact-based tale of the horror and brutality of war – and the compassion and courage hidden in us all to fight for survival...and salvation.
The Russian Army has invaded its long-time foe, Finland, while pursuing the German troops fleeing from Hitler’s self-destructive attack on Russia. Aimo Kekkenen and the children of his village are put on a train for Nilstad, Sweden – and safety. But not for all. Aimo’s sister finds a warm, loving home with Constable Sten Valheen and his family; but Aimo is taken in by the Blixdals: the Reverend Björn, a sadistic, egomaniacal collaborator; and his desperate, loveless and childless wife, Karen. And the remaining refugee children who are not taken in find themselves trapped in the hell of the town orphanage. The question isn't whether Finland will survive to welcome home its lost sons and daughters – but whether its sons and daughters will survive to return home.
In Sunpath: The War Orphan Train, Aimo, his sister, cousin and best friend are torn from their idyllic lives in the countryside of Finland and thrust into a maelstrom. They are the Finska Krigsbarn (Finnish War Children): the estimated 70-80,000 children evacuated to neighboring Scandinavian countries, mostly to Sweden, throughout World War II. At war’s end, over 15,000 evacuees never returned home – and of those who did, most did so to parentless lives.
Based on author Michael Maryk's interviews with survivors and local research, Sunpath is, at its heart, an examination of the good and bad in all people and the too-soon shattering of childhood innocence – a theme sadly familiar in our world today.
Click here for a review of Sunpath by the Finnish-American Reporter.
“Sunpath draws a vivid image of war and the price that innocent victims pay. Families torn apart – children from their parents – all forced to find new homes in a strange land. The portrait painted is from the past, but all one has to do is turn on the television today and see that somehow humanity never learns.”