The True Deceiver

Fiction & Literature, Psychological, Literary, Contemporary Women
Cover of the book The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson, New York Review Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Tove Jansson ISBN: 9781590176849
Publisher: New York Review Books Publication: October 17, 2012
Imprint: NYRB Classics Language: English
Author: Tove Jansson
ISBN: 9781590176849
Publisher: New York Review Books
Publication: October 17, 2012
Imprint: NYRB Classics
Language: English

Deception—the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell others—is the subject of this, Tove Jansson’s most unnerving and unpredictable novel. Here Jansson takes a darker look at the subjects that animate the best of her work, from her sensitive tale of island life, The Summer Book, to her famous Moomin stories: solitude and community, art and life, love and hate. 

Snow has been falling on the village all winter long. It covers windows and piles up in front of doors. The sun rises late and sets early, and even during the day there is little to do but trade tales. This year everybody’s talking about Katri Kling and Anna Aemelin. Katri is a yellow-eyed outcast who lives with her simpleminded brother and a dog she refuses to name. She has no use for the white lies that smooth social intercourse, and she can see straight to the core of any problem. Anna, an elderly children’s book illustrator, appears to be Katri’s opposite: a respected member of the village, if an aloof one. Anna lives in a large empty house, venturing out in the spring to paint exquisitely detailed forest scenes. But Anna has something Katri wants, and to get it Katri will take control of Anna’s life and livelihood. By the time spring arrives, the two women are caught in a conflict of ideals that threatens to strip them of their most cherished illusions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Deception—the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell others—is the subject of this, Tove Jansson’s most unnerving and unpredictable novel. Here Jansson takes a darker look at the subjects that animate the best of her work, from her sensitive tale of island life, The Summer Book, to her famous Moomin stories: solitude and community, art and life, love and hate. 

Snow has been falling on the village all winter long. It covers windows and piles up in front of doors. The sun rises late and sets early, and even during the day there is little to do but trade tales. This year everybody’s talking about Katri Kling and Anna Aemelin. Katri is a yellow-eyed outcast who lives with her simpleminded brother and a dog she refuses to name. She has no use for the white lies that smooth social intercourse, and she can see straight to the core of any problem. Anna, an elderly children’s book illustrator, appears to be Katri’s opposite: a respected member of the village, if an aloof one. Anna lives in a large empty house, venturing out in the spring to paint exquisitely detailed forest scenes. But Anna has something Katri wants, and to get it Katri will take control of Anna’s life and livelihood. By the time spring arrives, the two women are caught in a conflict of ideals that threatens to strip them of their most cherished illusions.

More books from New York Review Books

Cover of the book Wolf Story by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book The Corner That Held Them by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book Testing the Current by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book Abducting a General by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book An Armenian Sketchbook by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book The Invisibility Cloak by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book The Professor and the Siren by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book Unforgiving Years by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book During the Reign of the Queen of Persia by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book My Face For the World to See by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book Letters from Russia by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book Making It by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book A Chill in the Air by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book The Liberal Imagination by Tove Jansson
Cover of the book The Stories of J.F. Powers by Tove Jansson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy