I once asked a young Finnish historian which side Finland was on during the Second World War. His answer consisted of two words: “It’s complicated.”

It is indeed. This book tries to make sense of all the twists and turns of the years between the outbreak of the Second World War and Stalin’s death fourteen years later.

Reading it now, not long after neutral Finland decided to join NATO, I more clearly understand what a momentous moment that was.

The simple narrative that I knew about the war — brave, plucky Finns standing up to the Russian bear — is only partly true. Finland’s relationship with Nazi Germany is one of the more morally complex issues this book touches upon.

Recommended for anyone who, like me, knows very little about this important historical episode.