elliemcc11's review against another edition
4.0
I was attracted to this book because I like reading stories about relationships between parents and children; this is a Norwegian novella which has been beautifully written and then translated. The story is narrated by the daughter, and this is one odd relationship though, with the mother locking the twenty-something university student daughter in her room to prevent her from taking a holiday with her new boyfriend. Whilst I might not wish my daughter to go on holiday with a man she's known for 2 weeks, I wouldn't think that locking her all day in her room was the best way of dealing with the situation. The daughter / narrator seemed more adult than the mother, who needed both looking after, and who also seemed to have no awareness of boundaries, particularly emotional and social.
The blurb suggested to me that it might be related to psychology, and although I was not expecting to read a psychological thriller I was also not expecting to be wading through psychological theory, which, admittedly, was cleverly weaved through the story. Fortunately I have both an interest and (some) knowledge of psychological theory and found the narrator's frequent references to theory interesting, but the heavy emphasis on psychological theory (used as a means for the narrator to understand her situations) might be off-putting for some.
I was also slightly surprised by the references to God throughout, and initially I thought I'd stumbled unaware into Christian fiction. The narrator appeared to have a close relationship to God but as her relationship to her man grows the relationship with God is questioned. Again, like the references to psychological theory, it is used as a mechanism to allow the narrator to make sense of her world.
Finally, this novella does contain infrequent sexually graphic references so please be aware of this if you prefer not to read this type of material. The sexual references are related to the story, although sometimes I struggled to understand whether she was fantasising whilst locked in the room, or it was experiences the narrator was actually going through.
Overall I enjoyed this novella and thought it beautifully written. I didn't award it 5 stars because I sometimes struggled to understand whether it was present, past, or future that was being referred to within the narration.
The blurb suggested to me that it might be related to psychology, and although I was not expecting to read a psychological thriller I was also not expecting to be wading through psychological theory, which, admittedly, was cleverly weaved through the story. Fortunately I have both an interest and (some) knowledge of psychological theory and found the narrator's frequent references to theory interesting, but the heavy emphasis on psychological theory (used as a means for the narrator to understand her situations) might be off-putting for some.
I was also slightly surprised by the references to God throughout, and initially I thought I'd stumbled unaware into Christian fiction. The narrator appeared to have a close relationship to God but as her relationship to her man grows the relationship with God is questioned. Again, like the references to psychological theory, it is used as a mechanism to allow the narrator to make sense of her world.
Finally, this novella does contain infrequent sexually graphic references so please be aware of this if you prefer not to read this type of material. The sexual references are related to the story, although sometimes I struggled to understand whether she was fantasising whilst locked in the room, or it was experiences the narrator was actually going through.
Overall I enjoyed this novella and thought it beautifully written. I didn't award it 5 stars because I sometimes struggled to understand whether it was present, past, or future that was being referred to within the narration.
laura_hirst_87's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jenno's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up on random, because why not read a translated Norwegian novella?
I liked reading this. It's very different and put some thoughts in my head about identity. Even though it's a short novella the pace is a bit off for my taste at time, a bit to stream of conciseness. There are some beautiful passages though that I had to mark and just ponder on.
Because it is a novella I don't want to go into the plot. What I will write though is that this is something new, something I hadn't read before. Yes, it is a coming of age story but in another way that at least I expected. It's about sexuality and the relationship between mother and daughter. It has wonderful writing in parts and I planted some seeds in my head as I was reading.
If you want something else, something that will stay with you (it will stay with me for some time at least), I would recommend this.
I liked reading this. It's very different and put some thoughts in my head about identity. Even though it's a short novella the pace is a bit off for my taste at time, a bit to stream of conciseness. There are some beautiful passages though that I had to mark and just ponder on.
Because it is a novella I don't want to go into the plot. What I will write though is that this is something new, something I hadn't read before. Yes, it is a coming of age story but in another way that at least I expected. It's about sexuality and the relationship between mother and daughter. It has wonderful writing in parts and I planted some seeds in my head as I was reading.
If you want something else, something that will stay with you (it will stay with me for some time at least), I would recommend this.
sirisolh's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-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
jordinna's review against another edition
4.0
god i love how this book started and ended, the small dashes of magic despite how mundane and ordinary it was overall, the beautiful prose, johanne’s thoughtful monologue... i loved it, this moved me
pannii's review against another edition
reflective
tense
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? Yes
3.5
bookgirlsummer's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
joecam79's review against another edition
3.0
Johanne wakes up to find herself locked in her bedroom, in the tiny Oslo flat which she shares with her mother Unni. She soon realizes that Unni must have wanted to stop her from going to the US with her new (first?) boyfriend, Ivar, whom she met at the canteen of the college where she studies psychology.
Over the course of the book, Johanne tells us something about her world. She doesn't tell us everything, though, and we cannot really trust what she does let us know. In fact, it doesn't take long for us to notice that although she leads a more-or-less normal life, Johanne has her psychological hang-ups and disturbing mood swings. In particular, happy-clappy spiritual visions tend to alternate with shocking, violent thoughts. These issues might be a result of the oppressive presence of Unni who, in turn, appears to have problems with her own mother. In this novella it seems that, to paraphrase Larkin, "woman hands on misery to woman".
Ørstavik’s work had been translated into eighteen languages but this was her first work to be translated into English (by Deborah Dawkin), thanks to the innovative Peirene Press. It is a brilliant, clever psychological/character study but not necessarily an "entertaining" book in the usual sense of the word. I confess I found it a challenging, occasionally painful read.
Over the course of the book, Johanne tells us something about her world. She doesn't tell us everything, though, and we cannot really trust what she does let us know. In fact, it doesn't take long for us to notice that although she leads a more-or-less normal life, Johanne has her psychological hang-ups and disturbing mood swings. In particular, happy-clappy spiritual visions tend to alternate with shocking, violent thoughts. These issues might be a result of the oppressive presence of Unni who, in turn, appears to have problems with her own mother. In this novella it seems that, to paraphrase Larkin, "woman hands on misery to woman".
Ørstavik’s work had been translated into eighteen languages but this was her first work to be translated into English (by Deborah Dawkin), thanks to the innovative Peirene Press. It is a brilliant, clever psychological/character study but not necessarily an "entertaining" book in the usual sense of the word. I confess I found it a challenging, occasionally painful read.