u/tenderlyacoconut

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

it is the literary representation of sitting in an empty beaches and observing the movement and rhythm of the sea. mesmerizing imagery, soft and tender writing. as you move through each line a calm washes you over. but there is an understated sense of grief and gloom. you are seeing the world through the eyes of a 6 year old who learnt about death before she could begin to grasp what life is. and you also see the world through the eyes of an older woman in her years reminiscing who she used to be, managing being in her changed body and balancing it with her self. and together they, through their conversations and made up games ignite and personify this isolated, small island and its ecology.

it is so short, but it took me longer to read because I keep rereading paragraphs. my heart is so full reading it, it is whimsical and magical while being grounded in reality, it is funny and light hearted while also infused with a lot of grief and coming into terms with death. there is such profundity in her writing balanced with a sense of magic, and restraint.

i am a fan of tales told through the perspective of children and tales told through the perspective of the elderly, and this book mixes the two. i feel the juxtaposition between the two perspective, the space between a 6 year old and a 70 year old provides for such interesting dialogue as we see in the book.

i will recommend this video, it is so calming and Tove Jansson was such a soulful and tender artist and writer. there is also a movie with Glenn Close as the grandma, i want to watch.

My favourite chapters were the one with the cat, the one with Berenice, the one with the robe, and the one with the tent.

this is my favourite scene and exchange in the whole show. the push and pull, the resentment, the restraint, yet the tenderness in their relationship. it is so wonderful acted. Elaine Strich was simply magnificent. and in the background with Jane Krakowski's vocal (with her perfect pitch that makes it difficult for her to watch American Idol), it is such a perfect scene. makes me smile and cry everytime.