Tove Jansson's The True Deceiver (1982) | Book Review and Analysis

A reflection on Tove Jansson's The True Deceiver (Den ärliga bedragaren). Contents:

00:33 – The author: Tove Jansson
01:10 – On The Summer Book (1972)
02:00 – The True Deceiver: setting and main characters
02:50 – Katri
03:10 – Anna
03:24 – The plot
04:16 – Central theme: creativity vs. pragmatism
05:24 – Mats
06:52 – Katri’s cynicism
07:32 – My assessment of the novel
08:03 – Novel or novella?
08:43 – Comparison with The Summer Book
09:12 – Further reading (recommendations)

[MsElitist]

Thank you for posting this review for TD. I’d like to hear your thoughts on Katris interaction with the dog, particularly near the end of the book.

[YarFeld]

Great review! I just read the book and really enjoyed it, even though it leaves you with a bitter sweet taste.

[donaldkelly]

I have read TD and Fair Play. From what I gather, the second novel is reflective of Jansson's personal and domestic life.

It's much pleasanter than TD and I recommend it.