Tove Jansson; trans. Thomas Teal
The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson, translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal, consists of a battle of wills between two women while it explores the issue of lies—those we tell ourselves and those we tell others.
Katri Kling is an outcast living in an isolated Swedish village. She keeps to herself, eschews pleasantries with the villagers, and is taunted by the village children. But she is good with numbers, and so the villagers seek her advice with their finances. Her companions are a dog she refuses to name and her simple-minded brother, Mats. Katri has been Mats’ care-giver since their parents died. She is very protective over him, caters to his obsession with boats, and wants to buy him his own boat.
Anna Aemlin is an elderly, highly successful illustrator of children’s books. She submits her paintings to her publisher who then contributes the story to go with the pictures. Anna’s illustrations capture the forest ground in minute detail. She populates her paintings with bunny rabbits adorned with little flowers. As the village celebrity, she is well-respected. She lives alone in a large family home dubbed the rabbit house.
Katri ingratiates herself with Anna, orchestrating a fake burglary in Anna’s house to convince her she should not be living alone. Anna agrees. After Katri and Mats move in, Katri proceeds to make herself indispensable. She picks up Anna’s groceries and mail, replies to her correspondences, and manages her finances.
The two women, having very different dispositions, constantly tangle with one another. Katri is cynical, suspicious of people and their motivations, judgmental, and always on the lookout for being exploited. Anna seems trusting, simplistic, and leads a sheltered life. She refuses to soil her fingers with discussions of money and is oblivious as to how she is being cheated by merchants and publishers until Katri informs her. A gradual, almost imperceptible, shift in attitudes occur. As Anna becomes more reliant on Katri, she becomes increasingly distrustful of her neighbors. Her suspicions seem to thwart her creativity. For her part, Katri regrets planting the seeds of suspicion in Anna’s mind and retracts her accusations.
In spare, taut, and disarmingly simple language, Jansson situates the narrative in a harsh winter climate with its unrelenting freezing temperatures and dark days. The frigid atmosphere reinforces the chill and remoteness of human interactions. The point of view constantly shifts from third person to Katri’s first-person voice. This inexplicable shift in narrative voice is unnerving and contributes to the simmering tension. Jansson skillfully conveys the tense atmosphere with few words and a controlled prose. Katri and Anna seldom speak to one another. Instead, they engage in the occasional flash of verbal jousting tinged with a mutual distrust, after which one or both exit the room leaving the atmosphere charged with electricity.
An unusual novel, skillfully executed, and with a haunting atmosphere that leaves one with more questions than answers. The reader is left wondering who is to be trusted, who is being deceptive, when did the deception start, and, finally, whether there is a connection between self-deception and creativity.
Recommended.