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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Part biography,part survey of entomology with asides on literature and art. Enjoyable
Six stars. I love this book. One of those books that would occasionally get me so excited by its sheer beauty I would have to stop reading for awhile to calm down. I just flipped through a few mediocre reviews of it, here on goodreads, that lamented its meandering and quirkiness. But that meandering quirkiness revealed an unexpected path that perfectly looped back on itself.
‘… certain lines stuck to me like birthmarks. Not because they meant so very much, but maybe just because they matched the colour of something in my life.’
The Fly Trap is a book that blends the authors own witty memoirs on his career as an entomologist on a small Swedish island, as well as the seemingly boundless adventures of naturalist, Rene Malaise.
Despite this book is largely about topics I know little about, like entomology, Sjoberg has a unique way of slipping in small observations about the world. He is able to draw in abstract knowledge about hover flies and other insects, but seamlessly link these facts to succinct, insightful ideas about life and human nature. There are times when these musings somehow seem to speak directly to you and your life, even though they stem from complex truths.
Although in order to reach these insights, it’s very easy to get confused with all the scientific names and narration that tends to jump around between different stories. But then at the end of each chapter, you have these little epiphanies where it all falls into place. It was like the reverse of a dream in that sense. The shift between confusion and clarity was almost kaleidoscopic.
The Fly Trap is a unique, beautifully written book, that somehow has a calming effect on you while you read it. Even when Sjoberg was retelling stories of Malaise’s intrepid adventures, I always felt as if I was listening from the small Swedish island where he lives. And something about that made me feel safe.
The Fly Trap is a book that blends the authors own witty memoirs on his career as an entomologist on a small Swedish island, as well as the seemingly boundless adventures of naturalist, Rene Malaise.
Despite this book is largely about topics I know little about, like entomology, Sjoberg has a unique way of slipping in small observations about the world. He is able to draw in abstract knowledge about hover flies and other insects, but seamlessly link these facts to succinct, insightful ideas about life and human nature. There are times when these musings somehow seem to speak directly to you and your life, even though they stem from complex truths.
Although in order to reach these insights, it’s very easy to get confused with all the scientific names and narration that tends to jump around between different stories. But then at the end of each chapter, you have these little epiphanies where it all falls into place. It was like the reverse of a dream in that sense. The shift between confusion and clarity was almost kaleidoscopic.
The Fly Trap is a unique, beautifully written book, that somehow has a calming effect on you while you read it. Even when Sjoberg was retelling stories of Malaise’s intrepid adventures, I always felt as if I was listening from the small Swedish island where he lives. And something about that made me feel safe.
What this book made me think the most about is how some scientific knowledge still relies on close observation of the natural world. There is no way to learn about the relationships between particular insects and plants without watching for it, and that kind of knowledge isn't just stamp collecting. It makes me really glad there's this quirky dude in Sweden keeping an eye on his little corner of the world.
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced