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marilenakarra26's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
cthulhu_calamari's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Some things are too experimental. Around the mid-point of this book (which is just one of three volumes) I was fascinated by the pseudo-hypnotic state the prose can create, but as I was nearing the end the trick was pretty tired, and it became a real slog, right up until the last 5 pages when it takes a hard turn with the protagonist recounting, in first person, being molested by a pedophile when they were six . No ****ing thank you, Nobel Prize Committee!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
annahammcantero's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lameeya_'s review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Lyrical, hypnotic, extremely compelling writing. It really pulled me in and I was devouring the pages. The best way I can describe the prose is it's syrupy, like it's viscous, sticky. It dwells on mudane thoughts and conversations and often takes tangents into memories and fragments. I feel it's too early to form concrete opinions on Septology yet, but the first part written in stream-of-consciousness writing detailing the minute intricate thoughts and lives of Asle, the artist we follow and Asle, his doppelganger with a similar life, plays on the themes of human agency, what leads to a certain kind of life, the blurred contours of us/other(since we follow one Asle from a first person pov but also have insights into the other Asle's thoughts and memories, I wonder if this is an exploration of the boundaries of self), meaning of art, what we owe each other, loss, grief, contemplation on God and religion. There's a lot of mirroring and coincidences and repetition used throughout the writing and I'm excited to see where this takes me. This is something magical.
mari3llann1's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
zepedromaio's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
tzanet08's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cody240fc's review against another edition
4.0
I have been wary of these recent novels that consist of one run-on sentence (Reservoir 13 & Ducks, Newburyport being in mind) but this Septology seemed like a cool project from Fosse so I took the plunge.
It takes a few pages to get the rhythm of the book, but once you find it 'The Other Name' reads smoothly. I enjoyed the sudden shifts from memory to present day. Asle's childhood memories towards the end of the novel were particularly well done, as was the playground scene with Ales. The dialogue can be repetitive and frustrating, and Asle's forgetfulness was overdone, but I also liked his internal debates regarding theology and painting. I've never read a book that seems to remain in a constant state of delusion quite like this (Under the Volcano maybe).
As a standalone novel, this is four star territory. Once the Septology is complete and available to readers, I have a strong feeling the project as a whole will be quite the reading experience. My first experience reading Fosse and I look forward to reading more.
It takes a few pages to get the rhythm of the book, but once you find it 'The Other Name' reads smoothly. I enjoyed the sudden shifts from memory to present day. Asle's childhood memories towards the end of the novel were particularly well done, as was the playground scene with Ales. The dialogue can be repetitive and frustrating, and Asle's forgetfulness was overdone, but I also liked his internal debates regarding theology and painting. I've never read a book that seems to remain in a constant state of delusion quite like this (Under the Volcano maybe).
As a standalone novel, this is four star territory. Once the Septology is complete and available to readers, I have a strong feeling the project as a whole will be quite the reading experience. My first experience reading Fosse and I look forward to reading more.