Finna by Nino Cipri was another Lawless Book Club read back in January. In this science fiction novella, we meet Ava and Jules who work at an Ikea-inspired furniture store called LitenVärld. They’ve recently broken up and are having issues navigating their work and now-only friendship status. Ava is anxious and unsure of what she wants from anything. Jules is Black and non-binary and more zen about the break-up. They’ve worked through much of their trauma and can’t force Ava to figure herself out. Before they can dig deeper into how to be friends and coworkers, they’re tasked with finding an elderly customer. She has wandered off on the other side of a wormhole. This has happened before and the store has a protocol. They are given a “finna” tool to help locate customers who have gone astray into these pesky time warps. Ava and Jules encounter alien beings, other humans, and strange lands that sometimes try to kill them. They even become part of a crew on a ship, like a pair of interdimensional pirates. Eventually, they return to their world learning more than they expected about themselves, their relationship, and what it means to be you when wormholes exist.
This was a fun read that explored the dynamics of a queer relationship. Ava is cautious and Jules seeks out dangerous adventure. With the page count, we don’t get into too much of their past. Through their reactions to stressful situations, Cipri reveals their personalities. I most enjoyed the ocean ship portion of the story where they were on a focused mission. Without spoiling the end, I like the idea of wormholes giving you a peek into other possible worlds. The idea you could become something new is intriguing. They were retail workers and became space-time pirates. I’m curious to read the second novella, but not in a hurry. Finna had a satisfying ending with commentary on capitalism, identity, and family. Read this if you like workplace melodrama like in Superstore, queer romance, and dimensional adventures like in Sliders or Primeval.
