The Summer Book

This feels more like a short-story collection than a novel. It’s a series of loosely connected vignettes following a young girl and her grandmother as they spend the summer together on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland. There isn’t much of a plot or forward momentum in the story. It’s mostly about their conversations, little adventures, arguments, and observations about the world around them.

It’s short and sweet and simple. In other words, not my cup of tea. Just kidding. Kind of. I mean, it’s a lovely little slice-of-life book, and the relationship between Sophia and her grandmother is charming without being overly sentimental. There’s something refreshing about seeing the magic of the world through a child’s eyes, and it’s well written. I just don’t think it left enough of an impression on me personally to stick with me for very long.

Book author: Tove Jansson