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A review by michaela_lubbers
Bolla by Pajtim Statovci
Oof. This was, to quote some other reviews, a "miserable, nihilistic," "grinding" book. It is decidedly not my cup of tea. It has a very distinct, flowing, almost lyrical style (due to, as I discovered upon reading the last 15% of the book on paper, instead of listening to it, massive run on sentences. And that's coming from ME.) that I imagine some people will enjoy immensely.
It's dark and gritty and teeming with misery, resplendent with a bleak, miserable ending. Arsim is a deeply unlikable, unreliable asshole of an narrator, capable of such wanton cruelty that he speaks of so neutrally, so guiltlessly.
The description indicates that this is a book about war and star crossed lovers so you expect a certain level of painful reality. You are likely not expecting this. It's haunting, certainly, but is it hauntingly beautiful? Jury's still out. It's harsh and it's painful and some people will really dig this but it was not me.
It's dark and gritty and teeming with misery, resplendent with a bleak, miserable ending. Arsim is a deeply unlikable, unreliable asshole of an narrator, capable of such wanton cruelty that he speaks of so neutrally, so guiltlessly.
The description indicates that this is a book about war and star crossed lovers so you expect a certain level of painful reality. You are likely not expecting this. It's haunting, certainly, but is it hauntingly beautiful? Jury's still out. It's harsh and it's painful and some people will really dig this but it was not me.