Summary of The True DeceiverÂ
Katri lives in a remote, snowbound village with her simple-minded brother Mats and their dog. She befriends Anna, an older, affluent illustrator of children’s books. Before long, Katri and Mats move in with Anna, and the two women must learn to live together despite their differences.
Reasons to read The True Deceiver
“The True Deceiver” is a short novella, written in simple prose, that explores themes of deceit, honesty, desire, and manipulation. The English translation of “The True Deceiver” by Thomas Teal won the Best Translated Book Award in 2011. Tove Jansson was a celebrated Finnish author who wrote in Swedish, as well as a painter. She published various novels and short stories, as well as the famous “Moomin” children’s books. Another highly recommended novel of Tove Jansson is “The Summer Book”, which is set on a Finnish island. Tove Jansson won numerous literary awards, including the Swedish Academy Finland Prize, the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and the Selma Lagerlöf Prize, among others.
Setting: Sweden
According to the book’s back cover, the story is set in a Swedish village. However, the text of the novel itself does not seem to explicitly mention Sweden or any specific country.
Original title: Den ärliga bedragaren
Year of publication: 1982
Nr of pages: 181
