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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Hanne Ørstavik's Love is a beguiling, one-(or-so)-sitting novel about the unsettling consequences of the distance between family members. The plot, as it is, focuses on an intellectually enveloped mother and her son, who has all the curiosity and anxiety as befitting an almost nine-year-old, and the activities that thrust them out into the brutal cold one rural Norwegian night. The book could easily be a moralistic tale about the dangers of not paying attention to your child, and it sometimes feels like the novel itself is saying that, but I want to be charitable in the complexity of its concern; the mother isn't some stereotypical negligent parent, but a bit of a reflection of the reader, immersed in a book of their own. What really appealed to me about the book, though, is the abrupt, yet figuratively seamless, editing that Ørstavik uses throughout Love. The book jumps without warning between the mother and the child, often tricking the reader who thinks that each paragraph connects to the paragraph before it. This causes the reader, more specifically me, to slow down, backtrack some lines, and realize where the shift happened-- sometimes a seemingly facile line becomes 1000x more interesting when you aren't sure who, from which storyline, is saying it.
the story didnt go anywhere but im not so mad at that. i liked the glimpses into the different lives and thoughts of the mother and son but thought the mother was careless re her son being out all night w/o her knowing plus he was expecting something for his bday :( girl leave the bum fairgrounds worker and make ur son a cake! u wouldnt even give the fairgrounds a second thought if it wasnt for him >:( also didnt vibe w the bald lady getting directions from the son. i sound like a woman hater but this kid seems nice why are yall neglecting himmmm. the book ended w/o the mother and son coming together which went against my expectations and makes u wonder what happens next.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This work of contemporary fiction is a multi award winner in Norway. I was thrilled it is set in Northern Norway and impressed that the tone and descriptions feel 100% accurate. Although not a happy book, I enjoyed it due to the excellent writing and just about perfect portrayals of love and loneliness. The book occurs over one night yet I felt like I knew the characters very well. Unique, addicting, and tugs the emotions.
I cannot speak highly enough about this book, and its seamless translation. It is so careful in its scene-building, so good at letting close misses feel heart-stoppingly dramatic, so quick at evoking dread or nostalgia... I just can't believe how good it is. We swap between a young mother and her young son, each out on a fateful night in their new town. The swaps are paragraph by paragraph, or even sentence by sentence, giving it a cinematic feel of jump cuts, but also allowing for the most wonderful of juxtapositions. Few books seem this effortlessly impressive.
Well, that was a heartbreaking. I was tense reading from the moment mom left the house, and kid left the girl's house. It felt like a book of competing sadnesses, but I'm certain the boy won out--she's a lonely mother, sad for sure, but she has tools at her disposal, a community of adults, etc. He's a little boy certain his mom baking him a birthday cake (she's not), and certain she bought him the train he wants for his birthday (she didn't).
Are we supposed to infer that he dies on the steps? Or is it just a little more sadness to add to his life that he goes to sleep at the door while she's inside?
Are we supposed to infer that he dies on the steps? Or is it just a little more sadness to add to his life that he goes to sleep at the door while she's inside?
因为克瑙斯高推荐而读的。那种冷峻寂寥的北欧冬夜确实描写得很好，写的是一个母亲和她的儿子在一个夜晚的经历，场景不停地在两者间切换。情节、散文、心理描写没有一样惊艳到我。属于读得挺舒服但是forgettable
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes