Scan barcode
A review by shona_reads_in_devon
Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒂 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝜤𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅, 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅, 𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. 𝜤𝒔. 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsurprisingly Time Shelter is a tricky book to get a handle on. It's not one thing or another. To describe it as a story about the opening of a clinic for Dementia is to both minimise the audacity of this novel and also to assign it with a more conventional plot structure than it possesses.
This novel is endlessly thought provoking. I spent the first half scribbling down evocative passages and parts that made me pause and say 'yes that's just rightly expressed!'
Despite my confident fervour, I felt utterly lost reading this book. I am somewhat mollified as I see, in the epilogue, that this appears to be the intent.
𝑨 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌, 𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌, 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅, 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔
This book is a masterful exploration of memory, time and identity. Identity of a personal, political and historical nature that is both universal and utterly unique to the individual.
Did I think it was readable? Difficult to say. From the off it was clear that we were going to be provided no anchor, no harbour or moments of clarity to hold on to to orient ourselves. This is a book where I had to hold on for the ride, take the moments that gleaned meaning for me as I grabbed hold of them.
It's really a beautiful piece of literature and I think it would benefit visiting more than once - but I'm not sure I will.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsurprisingly Time Shelter is a tricky book to get a handle on. It's not one thing or another. To describe it as a story about the opening of a clinic for Dementia is to both minimise the audacity of this novel and also to assign it with a more conventional plot structure than it possesses.
This novel is endlessly thought provoking. I spent the first half scribbling down evocative passages and parts that made me pause and say 'yes that's just rightly expressed!'
Despite my confident fervour, I felt utterly lost reading this book. I am somewhat mollified as I see, in the epilogue, that this appears to be the intent.
𝑨 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌, 𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌, 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅, 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔
This book is a masterful exploration of memory, time and identity. Identity of a personal, political and historical nature that is both universal and utterly unique to the individual.
Did I think it was readable? Difficult to say. From the off it was clear that we were going to be provided no anchor, no harbour or moments of clarity to hold on to to orient ourselves. This is a book where I had to hold on for the ride, take the moments that gleaned meaning for me as I grabbed hold of them.
It's really a beautiful piece of literature and I think it would benefit visiting more than once - but I'm not sure I will.