But the main focus is on Moomintroll himself, who sets out along with timid Sniff to discover more about the sinister comet which is looming over their peaceful world. Parts of Comet are quite scary, as the seas and rivers dry up, leaving behind a creepy landscape which out little adventurers have to navigate on stilts.
As a child I enjoyed the Moomin books and found them charming, without ever totally falling in love with them. There was an edge of weirdness to them that threw me slightly off-kilter so I was never able to completely relax in their world. Also big scary things did keep happening, like being washed away in a flood or a jungle growing through the house, so they were not exactly comforting books. But I'm still very pleased to have filled in a big gap in my Moomin experience.
* Technically, the first book is The Moomins and the Great Flood, but that book is less substantial than those that followed, and much closer to a picture book, so I'm not really counting it.
I remember loving the Moomintrolls as a child, but I've never re-read any of the books. I'll have to keep a look out. A funny thing, though - in my newest author pic, I'm wearing a Uniqlo t-shirt patterned with Moomins.
ReplyDeleteOh, I loved the Uniqlo Moomin range! My daughter had a very cute Moomin dress (bought by me :)
DeleteI liked the Moomin books as a child but always felt there was something strange about them that I wasn't entirely 'getting'. Having reread and loved them as an adult, I think it's because they're actually adult books that just happen to be presented in a child's format.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right -- they can be quite philosophical. I had the same feeling there was something going on that I couldn't quite grasp!
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