Heidi, by Johanna Spyri

Evergreen pastures, fresh air, delightful children treading the mountainside.

"What is the matter with them, grandfather? They looked so different! [...] They are made to bloom in the sun and not to be shut up in an apron." - the Alm Uncle

Reading, as with any sport, gets harder the longer you practice it. The unknown retreats behind familiarity. Patterns emerge to become so many anchoring points, and surprise becomes a rarity. This is not cultural ennui, far from it. But there is a certain self-satisfaction at knowing what a book might turn out to be just from reading the first ten pages. Dangerous complacency indeed, aggravated by being right more often than not.

"So you have risked it? Now we have won." - the Alm Uncle

Emerging from a lengthy and intense cycle of political Science-Fiction, I was still smarting at the jab my conscience poked me with at that time: “God, this man would sail through life without once having read something he did not already hold in high esteem of, be it by association of genre or author”. Guilty as charged, I endeavoured to find the single novel I was most unlikely to read. One for which I admittedly held a measure of snobbish contempt -although this grudging admission only came later, after witnessing the novel’s power firsthand.

So, here we are. Heidi, by Johanna Spiry. A repentant review.

Power, yes power. See no levity in the word choice; for how to qualify that which emboldens the soul and renews your outlook? Heidi does not leave you “refreshed”, it stirs your guts and leaves you empowered. But let us get to that in time.

"Oh, Heidi, everything seems bright to me again, and my heart is light. Thank you, child, you have done me so much good" - Grandma'

You should be familiar with the broad lines of the novel by now. Heidi, an orphaned girl, lives in Maeinfeld (Grisson) with her grandmother and aunt Dete. After the former’s passing, the latter is to leave for Frankfurt where she negotiated a lucrative position as a maid. Dete takes Heidi up from the Dorfli, to live on the Alm with her grandfather -the Alm uncle, a grim man of poor reputation.

“Suddenly he moved up the Alm, to live there at enmity with God and man.” - aunt Dete

Humans are better left to grow in their natural environment, or so the first chapters would have you believe. Cities, and civilizations for all we know, are only boons or the worst kind. We would do away with them given the chance, and the Alm uncle indeed seized his. There is rustic purity in the education he gives Heidi. The man seldom speaks more than ten words, but do not let the hardy breed fools you. Watching is what he does: pondering, judging, taking the measure of your mettle. Lord protects you if it is found wanting, for he is not a kind man to outsiders.

“She is not lacking in intelligence. […] I am glad to see that you can think for yourself. […] She knows what is what and has her eyes in the right place.” - the Alm Uncle

The Alm Uncle cultivates what is best in the child, leaving her to grow with her environment given she behaves appropriately and reasonably. Being free from exposure to evil, in a state of perfect innocence is not enough. The man makes sure she is given no opportunity in return to commit reprehensible deeds. Thus he will not suffer her anywhere near the villagers, nor is she to attend school as a girl her age should.

“You know the world, for you have travelled far. What little sense you show!” - the Pastor

So far Heidi lived a life of pure happiness, until aunt Dete comes back to take her to Frankfurt. he is to reside with Clara, a sickly child from the rich Sesemman family. There she will endure many torments and waste in seclusion. Much of what happens to her is firmly on the wrong side of fairness. Heidi is a tough child, she will not complain nor ask to return home. She would rather endure in silence. Until Clara’s grandmother grants her enlightenment: sometimes the worst must happen for the good to emerge, and God will not forget you if you do not forget him. Weeks later, the good Doctor seeing the child at the end of her rope commended she departs at once for her home.

“If he is unhappy and wretched, people don’t pity him, for they will say he went away from God, and now the Lord, who alone can help him, has no pity on him.” - Heidi

This period of suffering left me puzzled at first. I decided to see it as a trial of her character. I fell far from what the author intended me to see. From Heidi’s willingness to believe that God will arrange things for the best, arise a stream of good deeds. The good Doctor, having lost his only child, will mend its heart on the Alm. Clara will sojourn with them and overcome her sickness. The Alm Uncle will make peace with God and the villagers. Their neighbour the poor Grandma’ will know a measure of kindness in her old days. The test was not about Heidi. It was about everyone around her, the good that would befall them should she endure a little more.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:28

In the end, acquaintances are renewed, new bonds formed, Heidi’s future secured and, well, everything turned out to be welled. No one died, not even the old Grandma’. And that precisely, caught me unprepared. I went through the book expecting things to fall apart at some point. Heidi will learn to accept the harsh reality of life, and strive to keep a pure heart. Surely that’s how things work, yes? Right?…

"For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." - Heidi's song

This left me conflicted. How come I had envisioned every outcome, except the most desirable one? Indeed, happy endings are not faithful reflections of real life. But neither are bad endings. There is no indication whatsoever as to which prediction has the upper hand. Yet cynism was my default mode all along, and I know a good portion of readers would have done so. What does that say about us? I also noticed a pattern in relationships throughout the book. They are not based on age or social standing, but on shared beliefs. Though only 8 years old, Heidi will befriend adults like Grandma’ or Sebastian, and casually spend time alone with the good Doctor or Miss Sesemmen. Theirs is a relation of friendship, despite the distance from age and experience. They will walk, talk, and exchange ideas or confidence just like you would with someone your age. They relate to one another through a shared outlook on life.

"Can I go away and think that somebody in this world still cares for me and loves me?" - the good Doctor

I could go and rant all day long about this book. Suffice it to say I found Heidi inspiring, leaving me willing to try new things and change my outlook on relationships, if only for a bit.