"The True Deceiver" by Tove Jansson *****

• Summer Sub Club with Beth
• Swedish author
• Originally published in 1982, translation published in 2009 
• Introduction:
• "Anna Aemilin, has no foothold on winter and is a being particularly associated with spring."
• "How does deception relate to truth?"
• Quotes:
• p.12..."Anna Aemilin had the great persuasive power of monomania, of being able to see and embrace a single idea, of being interested in one thing only."...the ground, the promise of what's to come in spring?  
• p.23..."But you never know, you can never really be sure, never completely certain that you haven't tried to ingratiate yourself in some hateful way-- flattery, empty adjectives, the whole sloppy, disgusting machinery that people engage in with impunity all the time everywhere to help them get what they want...".
• p.50..."And politeness can sometimes be almost a kind of deceit, can it not?"
• p.128..."...I would much rather be cheated than go around distrusting everyone."...Anna to Katri....me too, maybe
• p.171..."What's happened to me is that I can no longer see the ground."...Anna
• Review:  When I finished this novel from Finnish author, Tove Jansson, I sat quietly, feeling deeply moved, a little sad, even almost teary.  Set in a stark, isolated Finnish town in the dead of winter, the author draws the reader into an understanding of the role illusion plays in our lives, and what some of the consequences are when those illusions are stripped away. Using the metaphors of a trained dog losing its purpose, we are witness to the discovery that the real "true deceiver" is ourselves.  I strongly urge you to come visit the child's author at the rabbit house, the boat builder in town, the mailman on skis, the shopkeepers, and the two protagonists, Anna and Katri.  Beware of your heartstrings, for they will be tugged by the beautiful, profound tale and the poignant characters!