Tove Jansson’s Moomins are no strangers to most – perhaps you’ve seen someone carrying a tote bag with Moomins on it or walked past The Moomin Shop in Covent Garden. Or maybe, like me and so many others, the Moomins have made their way out of pages and merchandise and into your heart.
Translated by Sophie Hannah, The Dangerous Journey is an adventure that begins with our protagonist, Susanna, feeling restless and upset – hoping for something to happen. Her cat ignores her outburst, happily snoozing away. Susanna picks up the new pair of glasses that “[appear]” after her initial pair vanishes once she removes them. As she puts them on, the familiar and calm rapidly become threatening. Cat becomes monstrous; the environment changes. Even her reflection is not of her: on the surface of the water, Susanna has transformed into a “wildcat”, a creature of the “mangrove swamp” as the colours in the illustration imply. I’d like to think the portrayal of things transforming is Jansson’s attempt at reminding us that the ordinary is actually extraordinary in so many ways – as long as we are willing to look at things in a different light, perhaps coloured by the imagination. Initially, we are given an image of Susanna filled with fear and alarm, but this quickly changes. Despite being a small figure surrounded by chaos, danger, and instability (even the sea has disappeared) – as Jansson’s illustrations perfectly portray – she concludes that she has “special powers”. She is but “a little girl, a child” yet “[her] mind has moved the sea”. One of my favourite lines, I found it wonderful how Susanna soon finds the magic in the situation. Suddenly, the danger dissolves. The imagination is powerful and taken very seriously.
Another one of my favourite lines is: ”Hope’s the only way to win. / I’ve figured out the deal: / First you put your order in / Then your dream turns real.” The Dangerous Journey is not only a book for children but also one for adults. Jansson reminds us to believe but suggests that one needs to take action in order to achieve what they want. Perhaps what is appealing is the simplicity that coexists alongside the complexity of Jansson’s books. Her work is as direct or complex as you want it to be. Nothing is out of the realm of possibility yet it all seems rather straightforward. In a world that is fast-paced, competitive and demanding, Jansson’s books are highly attractive.
Susanna continues on her adventures, meeting Hemulen, Bob, Thingummy, Sniff and Sorry-oo. They encounter the scary Groke and fight against the snow. Snufkin points them in the wrong direction, but before long, they are in Tooticky’s “red balloon” and are soon having parties in Moominvalley.
The final few lines of the book are comforting and decidedly wise. Adventures and parties are wonderful and fun, but there is a time to go home: Susanna makes her way back and stability returns. Establishing that adventures are temporary in nature is reassuring as Jansson captures the reservations and resistance that one may have towards the distant and unfamiliar. Jansson’s spectacular illustration of Susanna and Mr Paws walking together under the moonlight and among nature is also hauntingly beautiful, evoking a sense of peacefulness. Susanna faces forward, and Mr Paws follows behind: she knows he will come along with her – such is the strength of their bond. Captured in a state of motion, Mr Paws appears curiously playful.
This book is a gift – and was also most certainly a meaningful and delightful present to receive from a mentor. A tale of adventure, friendship and brimming with imagination, The Dangerous Journey is a poignant reminder to take our chances because we can never foresee “whether things turned out okay”. So instead of hesitating when an adventure comes knocking, we might as well embrace it: “Enjoy it. Let it go.”