Tove Jansson; translated by Thomas Teal
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal, is a mesmerizing, quiet read. Very little happens in the novel. It is the story of a grandmother and her granddaughter spending time together during a summer on a Finnish island.
Six-year-old Sophia, who has lost her mother, is on the island with her grandmother and father. Her father is relegated to a minor role, appearing intermittently while working at his desk or on his boat. The focus is on the interaction between Sophia and her grandmother. The two of them explore the island together, chatting, arguing, and playing.
Sophia is a precocious, impetuous, articulate, and imaginative little girl. Her grandmother indulges her by playing make-believe games with her and entertaining her with stories. Their intergenerational relationship is heart-warming. They respect each other’s limitations. Sophia reminds her grandmother to take her medications, retrieves her walking cane when her grandmother drops it, and looks for her grandmother’s false teeth. And the grandmother supports Sophia in her imaginative flights of fancy, guiding her and teaching her important lessons that run the gamut from musings about life and death, happiness, the environment, and tolerance and acceptance of diversity. The two have an easy, comfortable relationship as they amble along coastlines and forests. Their interactions are peppered with moments of delightful humor.
Beneath writing that is disarmingly simple, Tove Jansson conveys important life lessons that are as relevant today as they were when the novel was first published fifty years ago. She does this gently, unobtrusively, and seemingly without effort. The quiet strength of the novel lies in authentic character portrayal and in that Jansson does not bombard the reader with her characters’ interiority or with excessive detail, leaving much that is left unsaid while disclosing only the bare essentials.
A wonderful novel that captures the essence of the preciousness of youth and the wisdom of old age without lapsing into preachifying.