Carolina Pihelgas
World Editions
3 February 2026
68
eBook - EPUB
Contemporary Fiction
ARC via NetGalley
In the dog days of an Estonian summer, Liine flees to the countryside to put a conclusive end to her toxic 14-year relationship. She undergoes every stage of separation in a lone farmstead amid forests. A lot of physical labor and gardening help her withstand her ex-partner’s threats, the incredulity of friends and family, and her own anguish. Dread is pervasive in this novel. Set in the near future, it is filled with vivid depictions of the threat of climate change. All around Liine, nature is facing acute drought and heat. No less menacing is the presence of an expanding NATO base close to the cottage at the Russian border. The world’s largest military alliance is practicing for an attack. Explosions and shots ring in the distance while Liine tries to recover from fourteen years of violence. Yet she simply follows the rhythm of nature as summer unfolds. While her environment changes around her, Liine—always in the garden chopping wood, weeding, sowing—undergoes profound transformations, too. The Cut Line is a story of fear, self-blame, grief, numbness, and anger ultimately giving way to hope and healing, joy and lightness.
The Cut Line was a short but impactful read. The author offers us a fascinating psychology study of a young woman trying to come to terms with her escape from a toxic relationship and find a way forward, rediscovering who she is and what she wants from life. Her personal development is mirrored in the run-down cottage she flees to, and as she fixes up parts of her temporary home, she also progresses her own revitalisation. Meanwhile the violence of her past is echoed in the presence of the nearby military base encroaching on the village. The prose was atmospheric and descriptive without being wordy, and the author managed to express beautifully Liine's journey of self-discovery and acceptance. I would certainly read more from this author in the future and I am giving this book 4.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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