Book Review: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

The Summer Book. Tove Jansson. NYRB Classics (2008) (First published 1972). 170 pages. Genre: Fiction.

First Line: "It was an early, very warm morning in July, and it had rained during the night."

Summary:  The Summer Book is a series of vignettes told about six-year-old Sophia and her grandmother.  Each summer, Sophia, her father and her grandmother live on an island in the Gulf of Finland. Father mostly sits at his desk and works, while Sophia and grandmother explore the island.  They swim, take the dory out, make friends with a cat or two, visit with friends, snoop around a neighbor's property, talk about God and sleep in a tent.  Before long summer is coming to an end and it is time to return to the main land.

My thoughts:  The format of this book is a bit unusual.  It is told in vignettes.  Each chapter is a complete story, but they all take place on the island over the summer.  There is no explaining or catching you up on the background of the characters, except for an occasional sentence that explains why a character may be acting a certain way now.  Once I got used to the format, I fell in love with Sophia and Grandmother. 

Sophia is only six, but wise for her age.  She is Grandmother's constant companion, except when she is upset with her. She is curious, asks a lot of questions and is not afraid to tell Grandmother when she is wrong.  She has a quick temper, but is also quick to cool off. 

Grandmother is old and can't move very fast.  She likes to lie in bed and read mysteries.  She is often frustrated with herself and Sophia.  However, with Sophia she is quick to change her attitude and her story if it means Sophia will not be upset. Grandmother is adventuresome and a bit naughty.  Sometimes she smokes cigarettes or swears even though she knows she shouldn't. 

The author writes in a beautifully descriptive way.  The reader is left with an image of what an island in the Gulf of Finland is like.  Sometimes it is hot, sometimes foggy.  Spring can be rainy and windy until suddenly, one day, summer has arrived.  There are storms that can cause things not tied down to be lost in the sea. Not only is the writing beautiful, it is also hilarious and had me laughing out loud at times.  

This was the perfect book to enjoy in the height of summer and be reminded of the joys of the season.

Quotes:

"'You can believe what you like, but you must learn to be tolerant.' 'What does that mean?' asked the child sullenly.  'That means respecting other people's convictions.' 'What are convictions?' Sophia screamed and stamped her foot. 'Letting others believe what they want to believe!' her grandmother shouted back."

"Sophia carried the cat back to the cottage and tried as hard as she could to ingratiate herself, but the more love she gave it, the quicker it fled back to the dish box."

"He was often unlucky and was plagued by bad weather and engine trouble. His herring nets would rip or get caught in his propeller, and fish and fowl would fail to turn up where he had expected them. And if he did have a good catch, the price would go down, so it was always six of one or half a dozen of the other."

"The bare granite steamed, the moss and crevices were drenched with moisture, and the colors everywhere had deepened.  Below the veranda, the vegetation in the morning shade was like a rain forest of lush, evil leaves and flowers, which she had to be careful not to break as she searched."