Read Date: July 2025
Summary (incl. main characters, stakes, setting)
Grandmother and six year old Sophie live on a small island in Finland. Sophie has lost her mother (though this is never explicitly mentioned in the book). The two of them have summer adventures together and bicker like old friends. Sophie expresses her full emotions as a child and Grandmother grapples with her aging self.
How I discovered it (rec, why now)
Can’t remember when I first heard of it but I knew it was known to be Tove Jansson’s best adult fiction. It’s NYRB! I tried reading this last summer but couldn’t get into it; this summer was the time.
How I felt (thoughts on writing, themes, plot, pacing)
The island nature along with Tove Jansson’s perfect ink illustrations were so evocative. It’s clear she has a wealth of knowledge around this setting and landscape, which felt so real. Sophie was annoying as hell but I didn’t particularly mind. Grandmother was a lovely character and her passages were the best, imparting wisdom, slowly losing her vitality but not her essence.
The book is in vignettes so some of the stories were incredibly boring to me. When it was too focused on an external adventure it felt too middle grade novel to me. I much more appreciated moments for interiority and Grandmother and Sophie’s interactions with each other.
Who would like it
Nature lovers, nostalgia-oriented introspective people, those who want to reflect on childhood and aging and passage of time
Top quotes
- A very long time ago, Grandmother had wanted to tell about all the things they did, but no one had bothered to ask. And now she had lost the urge.
- if there is a drought, the island waits for the next summer and grows its flowers then instead. The flowers are used to it, and wait quietly in their roots. There’s no need to feel sorry for the flowers, Grandmother said.