--- product_id: 8470345 title: "The True Deceiver" price: "€ 26.62" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/8470345-the-true-deceiver store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # The True Deceiver **Price:** € 26.62 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The True Deceiver - **How much does it cost?** € 26.62 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/8470345-the-true-deceiver) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A New York Review Books Original Winner of the Best Translated Book Award Deception—the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell others—is the subject of this, Tove Jansson’s most unnerving and unpredictable novel. Here Jansson takes a darker look at the subjects that animate the best of her work, from her sensitive tale of island life, The Summer Book , to her famous Moomin stories: solitude and community, art and life, love and hate. Snow has been falling on the village all winter long. It covers windows and piles up in front of doors. The sun rises late and sets early, and even during the day there is little to do but trade tales. This year everybody’s talking about Katri Kling and Anna Aemelin. Katri is a yellow-eyed outcast who lives with her simpleminded brother and a dog she refuses to name. She has no use for the white lies that smooth social intercourse, and she can see straight to the core of any problem. Anna, an elderly children’s book illustrator, appears to be Katri’s opposite: a respected member of the village, if an aloof one. Anna lives in a large empty house, venturing out in the spring to paint exquisitely detailed forest scenes. But Anna has something Katri wants, and to get it Katri will take control of Anna’s life and livelihood. By the time spring arrives, the two women are caught in a conflict of ideals that threatens to strip them of their most cherished illusions. Review: Creativity vs. Pragmatism - A few weeks ago, the cover of this novel caught my attention as I was browsing here on desertcart. You could say, then, than I judged--and bought--this book based on the cover. The beautiful illustration is by none other than the novel’s author, Tove Jansson, who is famous for her series of children books about the Moomins. Jansson, a Finnish woman who wrote in Swedish, also penned a few novels, five of which are available in English. Before buying _The True Deceiver_ (1982), I checked out a copy of _The Summer Book_ (1972) from my local library, to sample the author’s prose. I was charmed by the impressionistic, episodic, and poetic musings of a young girl who spends a summer with her grandmother. I wanted more, and so I ordered _The True Deceiver_. Jansson allows us to witness the daily life of a small community. The portrayal is quite vivid for such a brief novel, so much so that, cliché as it may sound, I feel as if I had visited this town in person. The specific characters we follow closely are Katri Kling, Anna Aemeling, and Katri’s brother Mats. As the novel begins, Katri and Mats live in an attic over a store. She’s 25 and he’s 15. She’s perceived as a cynic; he’s described as “a bit simple.” (I couldn’t help thinking of Tarjei Vesaas’ _The Birds_, which I read and reviewed a few weeks ago.) Things change for the siblings when they become close to the older Anna, an illustrator of children’s books. Katri offers to help Anna manage her affairs, and the siblings soon move to Anna’s house. The novel might have been titled “Parasite,” as Katri takes over Anna’s life for her own purposes. Anna is the artist; Katri, the pragmatist. We witness the clash between the creative and the practical principles. Perhaps the best example of this occurs when Katri suggests answering the children’s letters with a generic response. Anna would take the time to answer each letter individually. To Katri, this is just a waste of time. She believes everything can be categorized, organized, simplified, and expedited. She destroys the beautiful spontaneity of life. To the pragmatist, “All art is quite useless,” though not exactly in the sense that Oscar Wilde meant it. Katri is good with numbers and seems to know everything there is to know about people. That doesn’t help her to function in society: she is an outcast. An understanding of human nature would lead one to compassion or to misanthropy; Katri is inclined towards the latter. She excels at turning people against each other. She’s the predator who observes life from a distance and is ready to pounce. “As far back as I can remember,” she says, “I’ve done nothing but wait, wait to finally act, to wager all my insight and foresight and daring, wait for the big decisive change that will set everything right” (137). Anna thinks more along these lines: “I would much rather be cheated than to go around distrusting everyone” (128). The meeting of these two seems like the perfect recipe for disaster. What, then, is Mats’ role? He seems to me like a type of synthesis. Like Anna, he draws, but he draws blueprints of boats. He is thus both artistic and pragmatic, and so he can move comfortably between the two women’s perspectives. _The True Deceiver_ is a beautiful, quiet novel. The ending is masterfully understated, open but satisfying. This is not a novella, though. _The Summer Book_ is, by virtue of its episodic, repetitive structure. There is development in _The True Deceiver_, and this makes it a novel, though Jansson incorporates to it elements of the novella, to great advantage. _The Summer Book_ seems to have a wider audience, but I’ll admit I enjoyed _The True Deceiver_ more. Both books were good enough for me to be interested in reading more by Jansson. Next on my list, by the same author: the novel _Fair Play_ (1989) or the short story collection _The Woman Who Borrowed Memories_. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book! Review: Small Psychological Gem - If you're a fan of psychological studies, you owe THE TRUE DECEIVER a look. Set in Sweden in the first half of the 20th century, the book offers a battle of wills that you don't even realize is happening at times, it's so subtle. Katri Kling becomes a care-taker for the famous children's book illustrator, Anna Aemilin, and it sets the small-town tongues wagging. "They make an odd couple, after all, so what's afoot?" seems to be the question of the moment. Katri is logical to a fault and has little patience for the "games people play." She plays ice to emotional Anna's fire. In fact, not only is Anna well-versed in the games people play, she has practically written her own game. Throw into this face-off two wildcards: Katri's "simple-minded" brother, Mats, and her dog with no-name (which Anna initially fears and then wins over) and you have the cast for a mimimalist drama set against a relentless background of snow, ice, and winter. Spring does come, however, and it plays a decided role in the denouement. When you reach it, you'll wonder how Tove Jansson pulls it off. It sure SEEMS like not much is happening -- and yet, all along, something is. A metaphorical chess match, in fact, one you have to sit back and admire because it could have come across as so melodramatic and treacly in the wrong hands. Best of all? The matter of who the "true deceiver" is remains subject to debate, even after the end. I love books like that, because they leave you thinking, engaging in your own internal debates. Good literature -- even smaller examples like this -- should do just that, no? ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #166,113 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,639 in Women's Friendship Fiction #1,766 in Small Town & Rural Fiction (Books) #1,846 in Psychological Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 465 Reviews | ## Images ![The True Deceiver - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61WfMCoh5lL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Creativity vs. Pragmatism *by D***E on September 19, 2021* A few weeks ago, the cover of this novel caught my attention as I was browsing here on Amazon. You could say, then, than I judged--and bought--this book based on the cover. The beautiful illustration is by none other than the novel’s author, Tove Jansson, who is famous for her series of children books about the Moomins. Jansson, a Finnish woman who wrote in Swedish, also penned a few novels, five of which are available in English. Before buying _The True Deceiver_ (1982), I checked out a copy of _The Summer Book_ (1972) from my local library, to sample the author’s prose. I was charmed by the impressionistic, episodic, and poetic musings of a young girl who spends a summer with her grandmother. I wanted more, and so I ordered _The True Deceiver_. Jansson allows us to witness the daily life of a small community. The portrayal is quite vivid for such a brief novel, so much so that, cliché as it may sound, I feel as if I had visited this town in person. The specific characters we follow closely are Katri Kling, Anna Aemeling, and Katri’s brother Mats. As the novel begins, Katri and Mats live in an attic over a store. She’s 25 and he’s 15. She’s perceived as a cynic; he’s described as “a bit simple.” (I couldn’t help thinking of Tarjei Vesaas’ _The Birds_, which I read and reviewed a few weeks ago.) Things change for the siblings when they become close to the older Anna, an illustrator of children’s books. Katri offers to help Anna manage her affairs, and the siblings soon move to Anna’s house. The novel might have been titled “Parasite,” as Katri takes over Anna’s life for her own purposes. Anna is the artist; Katri, the pragmatist. We witness the clash between the creative and the practical principles. Perhaps the best example of this occurs when Katri suggests answering the children’s letters with a generic response. Anna would take the time to answer each letter individually. To Katri, this is just a waste of time. She believes everything can be categorized, organized, simplified, and expedited. She destroys the beautiful spontaneity of life. To the pragmatist, “All art is quite useless,” though not exactly in the sense that Oscar Wilde meant it. Katri is good with numbers and seems to know everything there is to know about people. That doesn’t help her to function in society: she is an outcast. An understanding of human nature would lead one to compassion or to misanthropy; Katri is inclined towards the latter. She excels at turning people against each other. She’s the predator who observes life from a distance and is ready to pounce. “As far back as I can remember,” she says, “I’ve done nothing but wait, wait to finally act, to wager all my insight and foresight and daring, wait for the big decisive change that will set everything right” (137). Anna thinks more along these lines: “I would much rather be cheated than to go around distrusting everyone” (128). The meeting of these two seems like the perfect recipe for disaster. What, then, is Mats’ role? He seems to me like a type of synthesis. Like Anna, he draws, but he draws blueprints of boats. He is thus both artistic and pragmatic, and so he can move comfortably between the two women’s perspectives. _The True Deceiver_ is a beautiful, quiet novel. The ending is masterfully understated, open but satisfying. This is not a novella, though. _The Summer Book_ is, by virtue of its episodic, repetitive structure. There is development in _The True Deceiver_, and this makes it a novel, though Jansson incorporates to it elements of the novella, to great advantage. _The Summer Book_ seems to have a wider audience, but I’ll admit I enjoyed _The True Deceiver_ more. Both books were good enough for me to be interested in reading more by Jansson. Next on my list, by the same author: the novel _Fair Play_ (1989) or the short story collection _The Woman Who Borrowed Memories_. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Small Psychological Gem *by K***C on November 25, 2010* If you're a fan of psychological studies, you owe THE TRUE DECEIVER a look. Set in Sweden in the first half of the 20th century, the book offers a battle of wills that you don't even realize is happening at times, it's so subtle. Katri Kling becomes a care-taker for the famous children's book illustrator, Anna Aemilin, and it sets the small-town tongues wagging. "They make an odd couple, after all, so what's afoot?" seems to be the question of the moment. Katri is logical to a fault and has little patience for the "games people play." She plays ice to emotional Anna's fire. In fact, not only is Anna well-versed in the games people play, she has practically written her own game. Throw into this face-off two wildcards: Katri's "simple-minded" brother, Mats, and her dog with no-name (which Anna initially fears and then wins over) and you have the cast for a mimimalist drama set against a relentless background of snow, ice, and winter. Spring does come, however, and it plays a decided role in the denouement. When you reach it, you'll wonder how Tove Jansson pulls it off. It sure SEEMS like not much is happening -- and yet, all along, something is. A metaphorical chess match, in fact, one you have to sit back and admire because it could have come across as so melodramatic and treacly in the wrong hands. Best of all? The matter of who the "true deceiver" is remains subject to debate, even after the end. I love books like that, because they leave you thinking, engaging in your own internal debates. Good literature -- even smaller examples like this -- should do just that, no? ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Is it a nice beach read or something much more? *by D***S on July 5, 2013* Isn't interesting how small books can pack as much punch and cause as much "trouble" or provocation any mega book that aspires to that? Tove Jansson's "The True Deceiver" puts us physically and psychologically into the minds and bodies of villagers in Scandanavia during a typically bleak winter. She brings us into all the small minded ambitions, misunderstandings and presumptions and judgements that preoccupy the main characters and their neighbors. She writes with sparing use of adjectives, relying on the relentless themes of winter, darkness, objectivity and it's counter part; self deception. "The True Deceiver" is often said to be the dark rejoinder to "The Summer Book". I think that's right. In "The Summer Book" a wonderful grandmother treats her granddaughter with love and respect while introducing her to art and nature. Here we have the elderly children's illustrator Anna Amelin. I loved Janssen description that expose Anna perhaps more detached that friendly. "PERHAPS THE REASON PEOPLE called Anna Aemelin nice was because nothing had ever forced her to exhibit malice, and because she had an uncommon ability to forget unpleasant things" In one quick snapshot doubt is raised about her character and know at best she is untested. And in comes Katri. A young woman viewed equally with respect and suspicion in town. She is driven to protect her younger brother and sees a potential means out of her poverty by working herself into Anna's life and household. But Katri views herself as honest and obsessed with seeing the world objectively. Such are the constraints as she moves to manipulate the situation for her benefit. Will she win or be outwitted? In the end will there be a winner? It's a fascinating set up. One can dwell on deeper meanings, motive and justifications. Or one can sit deep in a chair a read a story about a cold winter in a small taken and be transported to that very isolated spot. Either way it well worth the ride on the back of originality in plot, location, writing and characters. 'Anna continued. "Now don't take this the wrong way, Miss Kling, but I find your way of never saying what a person expects you to say, I find it somehow appealing. In you there's no, if you'll pardon my saying so, no trace of what people call politeness ... And politeness can sometimes be almost a kind of deceit, can it not? Do you know what I mean?" "Yes," said Katri. "I do."' ## Frequently Bought Together - The True Deceiver (New York Review Books Classics) - FAIR PLAY - The Listener --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/8470345-the-true-deceiver](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/8470345-the-true-deceiver) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-09-02*