The Summer Book

“Sophia woke up and remembered that they had come back to the island and that she had a bed to herself because her mother was dead.”

This line establishes three important factors in the context of the book—that the family spends summers on an island, that Sophia’s mother has died, and that this is Sophia’s first summer on the island without her mother. The death of Sophia’s mother helps explain the close relationship between Sophia and Grandmother as well as Father’s emotional distance from them, and introduces the theme of Healing From Loss.

“It had shaped itself with slow and laborious care, and the balance between survival and extinction was so delicate that even the smallest change was unthinkable.”

The description of the magic forest as “delicate” is intended to symbolize the conditions within the family, which has recently endured the loss of Sophia’s mother (See: Symbols & Motifs). Like the forest, Sophia’s emotional state is fragile. She craves stability and cannot tolerate changes.

“‘What scolder?’ Sophia said, for she had forgotten the bird that died of love.”

Sophia’s thoughts and emotions are fleeting. She is upset when she first discovers the deceased scolder, but her grief is replaced by the excitement of the massive floor grate that has washed up on shore. The transience of her emotions characterizes Sophia as resilient and youthful. She has suffered a great loss, but she is able to move forward and to find joy in her life.

“Their absent-minded manner of living in time with the leisurely course of the summer had never had a guest to reckon with, and they could not see that the child Berenice was more afraid of them than she was of the sea and the ants and the wind in the trees at night.”

Sophia’s family is tight-knit, and they treat Pipsan (Berenice) as an outsider. The family becomes defensive, feeling that Pipsan is a disruptive force. Meanwhile, Pipsan is intimidated by the close family, adding to her fear of the environment on the island. Grandmother notices and treats Berenice with compassion, modelling empathy for the young Sophia.

“You can see for yourself that life is hard enough without being punished for it afterwards. We get comfort when we die, that’s the whole idea.”

Grandmother, who is 85, has become aware of her impending death. She experiences multiple age-related difficulties—she has a medical condition which makes her dizzy, she is quick to tire, she is physically limited, and she is treated like a child and burden by her son, reflecting The Difficulties of Age-Related Limitations. Grandmother needs to believe she will find peace in death to mentally and emotionally manage these difficulties in life.

“‘But, my dear child, I’m only “Mama” to your father,’ said Grandmother. She was concerned.”

While Grandmother cherishes her bond with Sophia, she draws a line at fully occupying a maternal role. She protests against being called “Mama” and grows "concerned” by the suggestion, because she understands that Sophia is still wrestling with Healing From Loss.

“Confounded children. But that’s what happens when people won’t let you do anything fun. The people who are old enough.”

Grandmother is upset that Sophia climbed the channel marker, but she also sympathizes with the bored child. Just as Sophia snuck up the channel marker, Grandmother snuck away from the mattress where she was supposed to stay. Father places age-related restrictions on both Sophia and Grandmother, highlighting The Difficulties of Age-Related Limitations.

“‘It’s funny about love,’ Sophia said. ‘The more you love someone, the less he likes you back.’ ‘That’s very true,’ Grandmother observed. ‘And so what do you do?’ ‘You go on loving,’ said Sophia threateningly. ‘You love harder and harder.’”

Grandmother gives Sophia space to learn lessons for herself. Sophia will not be able to make Moppy love her by forcing herself upon him, but Grandmother understands Sophia will not listen to conflicting advice. The strength of Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships, as they experience it, is rooted in Grandmother’s compassionate and non-overbearing approach to helping Sophia work through dilemmas.

“It was a good day for the secret path, because Grandmother was feeling dizzy and would really rather crawl than walk.”

Grandmother has a medical condition that makes her dizzy, and she takes a medicine called Lupatro to ease her symptoms. Although she feels ill, Grandmother plays with Sophia, showing that she prioritizes Sophia’s joy over her own comfort. This self-sacrifice enhances the theme of Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships by demonstrating the intense, parent-like love a grandparent often feels for their grandchild.

“She ran behind a rock with the milk can in one hand and watched the machine pluck up huge boulders that had lain in their moss for a thousand years, but now they just rose in the air and were tossed to one side, and there was a terrible cracking and splintering as pine trees gave way and were ripped from the ground with torn and broken roots.”

Sophia is scared of the bulldozer that is brought to the island to clear a path for the road. Sophia’s fear and the imagery the author uses to describe the scene introduces a minor theme of environmental destruction at the hands of humans, which forms a dark contrast to Exploring the Natural World.

“For a while, it seemed to Papa that Eriksson might have shared the booty, but that was a hasty, passing thought.”

Sophia’s family idolizes Eriksson. They strive to impress him, although they know that he will pay no attention. Eriksson appears undeserving of the adulation that he receives from the family. They prepare a nice dinner in his honor, but he refuses to eat and rushes the family to his boat, so they can go out and salvage items from a shipwreck. His behavior demonstrates that he values solitude and selfishness, with contrasts with the compassion and empathy of Grandmother.

“A very long time ago, Grandmother had wanted to tell about all the things they did, but no one had bothered to ask. And now she had lost the urge.”

Grandmother had been excited by her work with the Scouts, but she had no one to share in her excitement. Over time, her desire to share her experiences faded, which makes it difficult for her to bring up the memories to share them with Sophia. That no one would listen to Grandmother’s stories in the past suggests that her family viewed her according to her role—wife, mother, etc.—rather than as a person with unique experiences. It further develops the depiction of family life that runs through the text.

“She really listened for the first time in her life. And when she got out in the ravine, she noticed for the first time what the ground really felt like under her toes and the soles of her feet.”

Sophia has a meditative experience while she is alone in the tent. Her growing confidence while alone in nature reflects her maturation, and develops the theme of Exploring the Natural World.

“Sometimes people never saw things clearly until it was too late and they no longer had strength to start again. Or else they forgot their idea along the way and didn’t even realize that they had forgotten.”

Grandmother’s judgements of Malander suggest that she, herself, has regrets about her choices in life. She feels she has missed opportunities in her life because she failed and was too tired to try again or because she forgot her ideas. Not only do her reflections suggest regret, but they also suggest that Grandmother is aware of her mortality and is not prepared to die.

“Grandmother tried to recall her own rebellious periods in order to try and understand, but all she could remember was an unusually well-behaved little girl. Wise as she was, she realized that people can postpone their rebellious phases until they’re eighty-five years old, and she decided to keep an eye on herself.”

This complex excerpt introduces and alludes to multiple important details that help characterize Grandmother. Her exact age is given. Her past personality is alluded to as responsible by her lack of a rebellious phase. Taken on its own, the first sentence could be interpreted as an embellished memory of a well-behaved self, but the second line suggests that this is not the case—Grandmother is aware that she is having rebellious thoughts, and she works to stem them. Her present rebellious nature is depicted in other scenes, such as when she walks out on the forbidden ravine or when she sneaks away from her mattress in “Dead Calm.”

“A small island, on the other hand, takes care of itself. It drinks melting snow and spring rain and, finally, dew, and if there is a drought, the island waits for the next summer and grows its flowers then instead.”

When left in its natural state, the small island that the family lives on is a self-sustaining island. This description of the island foreshadows the plot of “The Enormous Plastic Sausage” in which the natural environment is disturbed and replaced with non-native plants. As a result, the native plants suffer, and the imported plants struggle to survive during a dry spell. This line demonstrates the importance of balance to an ecosystem, particularly in such a small environment.

“‘You can’t fool me!’ Sophia shouted. ‘There isn’t any news at one o’clock in the morning. They were having a party and having fun, and we missed it!’”

Both Sophia and Grandmother feel disappointed that Father left them out of the party, reflecting The Difficulties of Age-Related Limitations. Grandmother, who has a more developed ability to control her emotions, tries to distract Sophia, but Sophia’s feelings of rejection are too intense.

“Even potted plants got to be a responsibility, like everything else you took care of that couldn’t make decisions for itself.”

Grandmother compares herself to the potted plants that Father takes outside before his planned trip. She resents that Father treats her as if she is a burden and as someone who cannot make decisions for herself. The comparison she uses represents the concept that she feels dehumanized by Father.

“Nasty relatives. They tell him what to do without asking him what he wants, and so there’s nothing at all he really does want.”

Grandmother explains to Sophia that Verner is trying to outsmart his family because they are oppressing him. Her remark is an example of irony, as Sophia believes Grandmother is talking about Verner, but she is actually describing her own circumstances and The Difficulties of Age-Related Limitations.

“Nothing is easy when you might come apart in the middle at any moment.”

The severed angleworm is an allusion to Sophia’s severed family. She feels as if her family has been torn apart by her mother’s death. Her writing of the book on angleworms serves as another method for her to process the death of her mother, a part of Healing From Loss.

“Say this: say I hate everything that dies slow! Say I hate everything that won’t let you help.”

Sophia’s outburst alludes to the conditions of her mother’s death. By declaring she hates animals that die slowly, she reveals that her mother likely experienced a slow death. She also demonstrates her feelings of guilt and helplessness. This passage speaks to the theme of Healing From Loss.

“She started crying out loud as a caravan of dreadful, incriminating visions passed before her eyes: broken boats and gladiolas, windows and people, pots and pans rolling about on the bottom of the ocean, and flags shredded by the wind! Oh, God! She saw everything shattered and destroyed.”

When Grandmother points out how much damage the storm will cause, Sophia is distressed. She had been thinking of her own entertainment and not thinking about others, and Grandmother’s words help Sophia see beyond herself. Sophia feels she caused the storm, so all of the damage is her fault. This guilt can be interpreted as redirected guilt over her mother’s death.

“My grandmother was just superstitious. She made things up because she was bored, and so that she could tyrannize her family.”

Grandmother’s tales of her own grandmother’s superstitions scare Sophia. She believes her father is in danger when she finds his pen and knife crossed, and Grandmother explains that her grandmother used her superstitions to fill her time and to control her family. Sophia refuses to listen, and she uses her newfound superstitions to coerce Grandmother into helping her create an elixir.