Scan barcode
nini23's review against another edition
4.25
Wij zijn licht by Gerda Blees (Uitgeverij Podium, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2020) won the 2021 EU Literature Prize and 2021 Dutch Booksellers Award. Translated by Michele Hutchison to English (World Editions, 2023) titled We Are Light. My thanks to World Editions and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review, with apologies for its tardiness.
We Are Light is an intriguing contemporary novel that follows the lives of four Dutch people belonging to a commune called Sound and Love. The four commune members Melodie Van Hellingen, Elisabeth Van Hellingen, Petrus Zwarts and Muriel de Vree believe that light and music transmuted into love plus a minimum of calories are all a human being needs, to transcend. At the novel's opening, Elisabeth is dying. Trigger warnings for eating disorders, imprisonment and death.
The most unique angle of this novel is the variety of different perspectives, not just from the people involved but inanimate objects such as the juicer and musical instruments at the house as well as psychological concepts like cognitive dissonance. Although this approach has been done before eg. in When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Sola (tr. Mara Lethem), it still translates into a unique reading experience. Some sections work better than others but overall it makes this memorable. I was struck especially by the perspective of daily bread, lamenting that once they were the bulwark of daily nutrition but now are eschewed for being unhealthy carbohydrates. Together they form a chorus of voices and witnesses that inform this case.
The only thing that makes me wary is that the author said in her Acknowledgements and Sources section that this novel was inspired by real life events; namely a woman's death in a commune in central Holland that was publicized. Blees stresses that her novel be read as a fictional work, as she doesn't know what happened nor interviewed the people involved. In other words, it's a fictional rendering of a real life tragedy and I am concerned it may bring pain and unnecessary trauma to the loved ones of the deceased and the survivors.
We Are Light is an intriguing contemporary novel that follows the lives of four Dutch people belonging to a commune called Sound and Love. The four commune members Melodie Van Hellingen, Elisabeth Van Hellingen, Petrus Zwarts and Muriel de Vree believe that light and music transmuted into love plus a minimum of calories are all a human being needs, to transcend. At the novel's opening, Elisabeth is dying. Trigger warnings for eating disorders, imprisonment and death.
The most unique angle of this novel is the variety of different perspectives, not just from the people involved but inanimate objects such as the juicer and musical instruments at the house as well as psychological concepts like cognitive dissonance. Although this approach has been done before eg. in When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Sola (tr. Mara Lethem), it still translates into a unique reading experience. Some sections work better than others but overall it makes this memorable. I was struck especially by the perspective of daily bread, lamenting that once they were the bulwark of daily nutrition but now are eschewed for being unhealthy carbohydrates. Together they form a chorus of voices and witnesses that inform this case.
The only thing that makes me wary is that the author said in her Acknowledgements and Sources section that this novel was inspired by real life events; namely a woman's death in a commune in central Holland that was publicized. Blees stresses that her novel be read as a fictional work, as she doesn't know what happened nor interviewed the people involved. In other words, it's a fictional rendering of a real life tragedy and I am concerned it may bring pain and unnecessary trauma to the loved ones of the deceased and the survivors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Mental illness
brinnavirginia's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
abbie_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC in exchange for a review!
I loved this unique little book from The Netherlands, taking a look at a tragic event from the perspectives of some highly unusual narrators. We Are Light examines the run-up and aftermath of the death of Elisabeth, the oldest resident of the Sound & Love commune, who has died emaciated in her living room watched by her sister and two housemates.
I loved this unique little book from The Netherlands, taking a look at a tragic event from the perspectives of some highly unusual narrators. We Are Light examines the run-up and aftermath of the death of Elisabeth, the oldest resident of the Sound & Love commune, who has died emaciated in her living room watched by her sister and two housemates.
The first chapter sets the scene, narrated by the Night on the night of Elisabeth’s death. I initially thought this was just a quirky prologue, but it soon became clear that Gerda Blees had a unique narrator in mind for every chapter. We hear from a slice of bread, the neighbours as a collective group, a pen, the internet, the facts, Elisabeth’s body, and so many more. I worried that I’d quickly tire of this device, I realise it could easily come off as gimmicky, but honestly I thought Blees pulled it off amazingly well! There were perhaps a couple where it felt more like we were just inside the heads of the suspects, instead of a cigarette or the scent of oranges, but for the vast majority of the book, it’s done impeccably.
It was wild how much of an insight we managed to get into the lives of both Elisabeth and those around her from these random perspectives. Like the chapter narrated from the POV of Elisabeth’s corpse was extremely moving, it put you right in the grip of her death AS she was dying, and told you about the devastating lack of closeness she’d shared with anyone while alive. Then we had a chapter narrated by senile dementia which was similarly heartbreaking and effective - the choppy style worked perfectly, and showcased Michele Hutchinson’s immense translation talent. I also loved the chapters with internet and ‘the facts’ - they felt very ominous and were a reminder of how easy it is to fall prey to scams, cults, fads, and how little responsibility people on the internet end up bearing for the consequences of their actions.
Can’t recommend this one enough, a sharp and unusual examination of blame, responsibility and self-deception, though please tread carefully if you’re sensitive to discussion of disordered eating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Eating disorder, and Death
fee_nix05's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Echt geweldig geschreven. Er gebeurt op zich niet veel, maar toch blijft het verhaal je boeien door de verschillende perspectieven.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Eating disorder
pia_uhlenberg's review
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Dementia
Moderate: Death
jojo_'s review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Dementia, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Fatphobia, Ableism, Bullying, and Gore
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Lesbophobia, and Xenophobia
theheartisanaro's review against another edition
4.25
This is the only piece of Dutch literature that I have read and would genuinely recommend. The difference in perspective really fits the story and makes it a lot more interesting as well. It also feels like something sad in a big, overwhelming way, even though all information is given very subtly. Looking forward to anything else this author writes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Animal death
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, and Blood
emmawoesh's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Original writing (each chapter from the perspective of a non-animate object), but all in all not really my type of book. Plus I listened to the audio book while walking through the night and it made me feel uncomfortable and a little obsessive over food.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
More...