Reviews

A New Name: Septology VI-VII by Jon Fosse

anusha_reads's review against another edition

medium-paced

5.0

A NEW NAME, SEPTOLOGY VI&VII, JON FOSSE (NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE 2023), Translated by DAMION SEARLS

 This book was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2022 

The Septology is a captivating  story of  Asle, spanning seven days. 

Asle, a widower, intimately shares his present thoughts and past memories, expressing profound loneliness and longing for his late wife. He recalls all the moments he had with his wife. Despite being a renowned painter, Asle remains a humble, unassuming old man. 

The concluding part delves into Asle's new life at art school and his marriage to Ales, exploring the fascinating tale of how he meets the gallerist Beyer and achieves success selling his paintings. 

A part I loved was a scene where Asle pushes the swing Ales is sitting on, and Ales loves it and swings higher and higher. A similar scene is mentioned in the first book, where Asle, while taking a walk, sees a young woman sitting on the swing being pushed by a guy.  Asle reminisces the time he enjoyed with Ales. I found it very sweet and sad. 

There are two Asle and two ladies called Guro. Why did the author do that? Was it to show two parallel lives? Was it to depict the irrelevance of names? Or was it just to show that in life, there are people with the same names and different lives?

Like in the other two books, the marathon sentences with haunting and atmospheric narratives only add to the brilliance.

The voice inside Asle’s head debates the connection between God and humans, tries to find purpose and direction through faith, suffers due to isolation, questions one's identity, and tries to find the meaning of human existence vis-à-vis life and death, morality, etc.

As we grow old, we live mostly with our memories. Often grandpas and grandmas have told me a lot of tales about their childhood. In fact, they enjoy the narration themselves, and it kind of brings them comfort and evokes a sense of nostalgia. Whether sad or happy, these stories offer glimpses into who they were or how their lives got moulded. Reminiscing is a way of connecting with life, finding meaning, and reminding oneself of the journey undertaken, that is, a person’s history.

The ending was a bit ambiguous,  left to readers' discretion, I think!

This concludes the Septology.

This is a must-read!

bmcche's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

sondre_hareide's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

heyfarahey's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kevsunblush's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

hsalzler's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

makotach's review against another edition

4.0

The final instalment in Jon Fosse's Septology caps things off nicely, with an exploration of what God and religion truly mean. I was thoroughly moved by Fosse's consideration of pre-destiny and fate, and found myself increasingly entranced by his writing.

While Septology takes a little while to get used to, and Fosse's style can be off-putting, A New Name was a brilliant conclusion to a metaphysical journey that spanned the past, present, and future.

heathcliff_burton's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

nonlinearpaolo's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

avidreadr's review against another edition

5.0

An incredible ending to an incredible trilogy. A truly unique reading experience that I will treasure for many years to come.