Book Nineteen: Fair Play

Fair Play, Tove Jansson



This is sort of a novel, sort of short stories, sort of autobiography (I'm guessing)... but pretty much entirely amazing. Sure, I'm prejudiced in my love for Tove Jansson, but I'm going to say that this little book is absolute loveliness. It's about two friends (can we assume they're lovers, even if it's not explicitly mentioned?), Jonna and Mari, in older age, artists, who live across the attic from each other. Each short chapter is a little episode in their life together, like watching B-movies together to spending time on their own island (just like the island in The Summer Book) to creating and discussing their art to traveling together in America. There's no back story to explain their relationship, no real thread that connects these chapters, other than the two women's friendship and the art that ties them together. The last line is particularly beautiful.