Moominvalley in November

"November" is both intensely passionate and cold: it focuses on the empty spaces of the Moominfamily, and those who wanted the Moomins to fill the emptiness of their own souls. The Moominfamily represents happiness, everything that is good about childhood, summers, or functional families: generous, nonjudgmental, forgiving, carefree. Their absence inspires horrific nostalgia (especially if you have read the previous books)-- and indeed the author follows the emotions of the characters as they struggle with their own emotions, personalities, and less-than-perfect relationships with each other. It sounds grueling, but the souls of these characters are described absolutely empathically, touching the heart of the reader like dream music. The story is about greyness, but the experience of reading it was one of the most colourful, memorable and healing experiences of childhood. The plot idea of people becoming free from their dependence on happiness is utter genius-- it shows great hope for humanity that we finally have somebody expressing this idea more succinctly than our ancient texts. It's also extremely comforting when we're dealing with our own grieving or nostalgia, or with the tough issues of gaining inner freedom. Tove's treatment in "November" of the concepts of emotion, memory, longing, love, freedom, purpose, relationships, joy, and death are brilliant, haunting, tender... a nourishing story when we find ourselves at an Ending and our inner landscape surprises us with its breadth.

Well, this piece of Moomin anthology is a more serious one. I read it first when I was 10 in my home Poland, and did not like it much. It is not so full of joy, energy and adventures as the "Summer" or "Valley". Since that time though, I have read it at least 10 more times, love it, and highly recommend to all maturer Moomin-lovers. It is a bit melancholic, played not in a G-major notation, rather e-minor, maybe even with a flat... November mists, wet forests, grey seas, you will remember it forever!

Why is this excellent book out of print when other Moomin books are not? This is one of the most poignant and quiet of Moomin books, like the month it describes. Your Moomin collection is incomplete without it.

Fillyjonk, Grandpa-Grumble, Hemulen, Mymble, Snuffkin,and Toft all gather at the Moomin house in search of something missing in their lives. But there's no one at home, for the Moomin Falmily are at sea. Settling down to wait, the misfits try to act like the Moomin Family. Eventually, they come to terms with their lives and, one-by-one, leave content until only Toft remains to welcome the Moomin Family home.

Please read this book. One November, assorted misfits (the neurotic Fillyjonk, rebellious Mymble, senile Grandpa Grumble, freewheeling Snufkin, mundane Hemulen and Toft, an imaginitive child who has lived under a tarpaulin for as long as he can remember), try to fill the gaping voids in their lives by visiting the Moominhouse. Unfortunately the Moomins are all at sea, and so they find each other instead.