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A review by erint251
Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Parts 1, 2, and 5 of this novel were gorgeous. The plot is used as a jumping off point for vingettes reflecting on memory and time. The story is surreal and dreamlike in a way that reminded me of a Charlie Kaufman film.
Parts 3 and 4 try to talk about something important — Europe's collective amnesia and slow march back to fascism — but become tedious and repetitive and end up straying from the core idea. The characterisations of the individual countries also feel more like lazy caricatures based on stereotypes.
I have to commend Angela Rodel for her translation work. There are a lot of linguistic jokes and observations in this book that can't have been easy to translate between two very different languages, yet she made it work seamlessly.
Parts 3 and 4 try to talk about something important — Europe's collective amnesia and slow march back to fascism — but become tedious and repetitive and end up straying from the core idea. The characterisations of the individual countries also feel more like lazy caricatures based on stereotypes.
I have to commend Angela Rodel for her translation work. There are a lot of linguistic jokes and observations in this book that can't have been easy to translate between two very different languages, yet she made it work seamlessly.