The Summer Book by Tove Jansson & Tuulikki Pietila

I decided to read The Summer Book by Tove Jansson because of a culmination of things. Earlier this year while in a book shop, I bought Notes From an Island by Tove Jansson & Tuulikki Pietila – mainly because it was a beautiful book but also because the idea of living on a remote Island, creating just the type of life that you want – well it has a certain appeal doesn’t it?. It’s the story of Tove and her partner Tuulikki, who live on a rocky, somewhat inhospitable island in the Gulf of Finland, every summer for 26 years. Reading this got me curious about Tove and her other books – I loved the Moomins as a child and wondered if her books aimed at adults would have the same appeal.

Then, I read Hagitude by Sharon Blackie last month and it mentioned Tove’s The Summer Book – I had always been intrigued by the title anyway but from Sharon’s description, it seemed like a charming little story. As luck would have it, I saw it in a book shop shortly after and bought it on impulse.

I have to say, this is not normally the type of book I would enjoy – it’s quite slow paced and nothing much really happens. But that’s actually part of the charm of the book. It just follows the summer of a grandmother and granddaughter living on an island together – the child’s father lives there too, but he is  marginal character.

There are parts of the book that I found so funny – the whole chapter about the cat was brilliant. Without telling the whole story – they get a little kitten, as it grows, it refuses to love the girl. One day she says to her grandmother ‘It’s funny about love, the more you love someone, the less he likes you back.’ The grandmother replies ‘That’s very true, and so what do you do?’ to which the girl replies ‘You go on loving, you love harder and harder.’ At this, the grandmother sighs and says nothing. The child’s stubborn pursuit of the cat alongside the grandmothers gentle frustration at her granddaughter’s inability to learn the lesson of the situation has me laughing out loud.

Then there’s an occasion where a new house is built on an island across from theirs. Unable to resist the temptation of a closer look, they row over to the island. Upon seeing a sign that says ‘PRIVATE PROPERTY – NO TRESSPASSING’ the grandmother is indignant and immediately tells the child they are going ashore. She says ‘No well-bred person goes ashore on someone else’s island when there’s no one home. But if they put up a sign, then you do it anyway, because it’s a slap in the face.’  I love this bolshy woman! What happens after they go ashore and start noseying around is another story – which I will leave for you to discover for yourself.

Much of this story is inspired by Tove’s own life – the summers she spent on an island with her brother and his daughter. Which adds to the appeal of the book for me. I think I’ll read this again next year, on a lazy summer weekend, it’s the kind of book that deserves a second read.