The Summer Book (Swedish: Sommarboken) is a novel written by the Finland Swedish author Tove Jansson in 1972. It tells of a family silently mourning a mother's death while spending a summer on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland; the main characters are a young girl, Sophia, and her grandmother. The novel has been praised for its lightness of touch, simplicity of language, and expressiveness, while dealing indirectly with its principal theme of death. It has been translated into many languages, including Thomas Teal's admired English version. The author Richard Rayner has described it as Jansson's best book for adults. The work has been adapted for the stage in 2023, and as a film by Charlie McDowell starring Glenn Close in 2024.
Adaptations (1)
The Summer Book was adapted into a 2024 film.
The Summer Book2024 · film · 90 min · dir. Charlie McDowell · IMDb ↗The story of the relationship between Sophia, an eight-year-old girl who is growing up fast, and her grandmother, who is nearing the end of her life. They are spending time together with Sophia’s father, at the family summer house on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland. All three are coming to terms with the recent death of Sophia’s mother in very different ways.
