The Moomins? Aren’t they just for children?
If you’re about to skip over this review because you’re far too grown-up for children’s books, please read on. As W.H. Auden said, ‘There are good books which are only for adults. There are no good books which are only for children.’
Moominvalley in November, the ninth and final book in Jansson’s Moomin series, was first published in Swedish in 1970 and in English in 1971. It was noted by the Times Literary Supplement as being ‘probably the cleverest’ of the series.
While the earlier Moomin books focus on the joyous exploits of the profoundly strange yet deeply homely Moomin family, this book is a marked departure from the rest of the series. As befits the season, it has a more melancholic air. And, unexpectedly, the Moomin family are not in it.
Six very different (and fairly unsociable) past visitors to Moominvalley find themselves, for different reasons, disturbed and unsettled whilst preparing to bed down for winter. Each has a rose-tinted view of the Moomins, who are famously welcoming to everyone and who are quietly tolerant of all eccentricities. All six decide on a whim to visit. When they arrive, they don’t find what they were picturing. Instead, they find each other.
As they occupy the vacant Moomin house together, the six find themselves struggling with their insecurities and dashed hopes. There are clashes and arguments, but somehow they eventually manage to find some comfort in each other and resolve the fears that led them to seek solace. What I love about this and all the Moomin books is the subtle interiority Jansson gives her characters, and the warmth, tenderness and humour with which she treats their worries and flaws.
You’ll love this book if, like me, you enjoy reading seasonally; if you love escaping into well-written children’s fiction generally; or if you like characters that are quirky and fantastical yet deeply human and relatable.
If I haven’t convinced you about this book or about the joys of good children’s fiction, try reading Katherine Rundell’s delightful little hardback essay, Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise. I guarantee she’ll remind you why it’s a world worth exploring.
Karen
Fancy a copy? Moominvalley in November a book by Tove Jansson.