A review by _suvi_
The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson

challenging reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book, on the other hand the setting and the characers are really unique and vivid, but on the other hand the way the story progresses and how the characters affect each other is kind of confusing and maybe a bit disturbingly surreal. I liked how Anna and Katri seemed to be each others opposites and how the unreliable niceness and cold logic came through the text. I don’t know if it was the translation or Tove’s writing style in this book, but the writing itself seemed awkward and broken up. It might’ve tried to mimic Katri’s character but to me it just seemed amateurish.. and I usually love Tove’s writing. The end also felt really unsatisfying, making the whole book feel even more unsatisfying. Sufficed to say this book was not for me.