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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Surreal Bleak Worlds
Review of the Lolli Editions paperback (October 2021) translated by Jennifer Russell* from the Danish language original [b:Dukkerne|50706733|Dukkerne|Ursula Scavenius|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580242619l/50706733._SX50_.jpg|75735259] (January 2020)
This book might be a bit of a tough nut, unless you are in a certain frame of mind to tackle these bleak and apocalyptic stories which seem like candidates for future screenplays for film director Béla Tarr. That is if he hadn't retired from directing and [a:László Krasznahorkai|69287|László Krasznahorkai|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1615567994p2/69287.jpg] didn't already have the job (e.g. [b:Satantango|11455485|Satantango|László Krasznahorkai|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487574780l/11455485._SX50_.jpg|115067], [b:A torinói ló|24816306|A torinói ló|László Krasznahorkai|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422969515l/24816306._SX50_.jpg|44456877], etc.).
The title story The Dolls is particularly effective in this regard. A family with two daughters is living near a forest where the sound of violins torments them and a slowly encroaching 'Machine' is gradually expanding its size and boundaries to envelope all before it. One of the daughters escapes to the cellar where communication and food from the family is passed through a pipe in the floor. It is like something out of Beckett's [b:Endgame|12287|Endgame|Samuel Beckett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1452534163l/12287._SY75_.jpg|1164113], but multiplied tenfold and with not much Beckettian humour to provide some comedy. The following three stories are almost light relief after that opener.
Author Ursula Scavenius (great name!) seems to have only two books published to date, but has already made quite a name for herself. The translation by Jennifer Russell is excellent. I wouldn't have minded an introductory or afterword essay, but it seems so few English translations provide that these days. I have to hope for a future Estonian translation from Loomingu Raamatukogu for that.
I read The Dolls as the November 2021 selection from the Republic of Consciousness Book of the Month (BotM) club. Subscriptions to the BotM support the annual Republic of Consciousness Prize for small independent publishers.
Trivia and Links
* I'm linking to Lolli Editions translators page for the Jennifer Russell biography, as the Goodreads link combines at least one other author credits with those of the translator.
You can read one of the book's four short stories, Compartment, at the online edition of Granta October 2021.
Perhaps it is only me, but the amorphous shape on the cover looks like a screaming skull doesn't it? Rather appropriate, even if it is only a chance coincidence.
Review of the Lolli Editions paperback (October 2021) translated by Jennifer Russell* from the Danish language original [b:Dukkerne|50706733|Dukkerne|Ursula Scavenius|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580242619l/50706733._SX50_.jpg|75735259] (January 2020)
This book might be a bit of a tough nut, unless you are in a certain frame of mind to tackle these bleak and apocalyptic stories which seem like candidates for future screenplays for film director Béla Tarr. That is if he hadn't retired from directing and [a:László Krasznahorkai|69287|László Krasznahorkai|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1615567994p2/69287.jpg] didn't already have the job (e.g. [b:Satantango|11455485|Satantango|László Krasznahorkai|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487574780l/11455485._SX50_.jpg|115067], [b:A torinói ló|24816306|A torinói ló|László Krasznahorkai|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422969515l/24816306._SX50_.jpg|44456877], etc.).
The title story The Dolls is particularly effective in this regard. A family with two daughters is living near a forest where the sound of violins torments them and a slowly encroaching 'Machine' is gradually expanding its size and boundaries to envelope all before it. One of the daughters escapes to the cellar where communication and food from the family is passed through a pipe in the floor. It is like something out of Beckett's [b:Endgame|12287|Endgame|Samuel Beckett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1452534163l/12287._SY75_.jpg|1164113], but multiplied tenfold and with not much Beckettian humour to provide some comedy. The following three stories are almost light relief after that opener.
Author Ursula Scavenius (great name!) seems to have only two books published to date, but has already made quite a name for herself. The translation by Jennifer Russell is excellent. I wouldn't have minded an introductory or afterword essay, but it seems so few English translations provide that these days. I have to hope for a future Estonian translation from Loomingu Raamatukogu for that.
I read The Dolls as the November 2021 selection from the Republic of Consciousness Book of the Month (BotM) club. Subscriptions to the BotM support the annual Republic of Consciousness Prize for small independent publishers.
Trivia and Links
* I'm linking to Lolli Editions translators page for the Jennifer Russell biography, as the Goodreads link combines at least one other author credits with those of the translator.
You can read one of the book's four short stories, Compartment, at the online edition of Granta October 2021.
Perhaps it is only me, but the amorphous shape on the cover looks like a screaming skull doesn't it? Rather appropriate, even if it is only a chance coincidence.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a tough and slow read. Not sure why it didn't quite click for me, but I was relieved to finish it. The stories are interesting and droning in the way that gothic literature often does, and I wonder if I bounced off of this because of the translation? If you like classical gothic literature, you'll love the prose in this.
Ursula Scavenius’ The Dolls consists of four short stories. At first glance they may seem unconnected but they are all bound together by various themes, namely brother/sister relations. generally when I review a short story collection I only mention a handful of the short pieces but since there are only four here, I can focus on each one – in a spoiler free way of course.
The title story is about a family who have to glue and dye hair so that the put them on dolls. One day the daughter of the family decides to imprison herself in the cellar. The rest of the story consists of the narrator watching her develop in her enclosed quarters.
To Russia is a more political story, consisting of a government plan going wrong and one of the workers escaping the mess in order to visit his sister. Out of the four stories I found this one to be the most introspective as sibling relationships are described in great detail.
Notpla’s House is the more creepy of the four. A brother and sister are on the run and the sister develops amnesia and starts to bond with a stranger Notpla. The problem lies in the fact that as we readers are not sure if Notpla’s intentions are good or not as he seems to have a dual character what makes things creepier is the appearance of a mysterious old woman.
The story Compartment reminded me of Guy de Maupassant crossed with Kafka: Three siblings have to carry their dead mother with them on a train heading out of Russia and towards Hungary so that they find a decent burial area. This story is the more historical one as it is set against the backdrop of the Russian liberation, which displays the violent acts that were present. Also during this period Russia was experiencing flooding, which proves to be a challenge as well.
Aside from sibling relations these stories are bound together by diseases, historical events and acts of nature. Yet there is something unsettling, dark and foggy. If one takes a look at the book’s cover one can get a feel of the tone of stories. Saying that unlike horror fiction, there’s no twist here. These stories have a realistic edge, which makes the reader empathise with the characters. I will say that I wanted the three siblings to succeed in their mission and shared in their desperation. I was sharing the narrator’s curiosity when seeing his cellar bound sister’s nails. I felt the unease the narrator had about Notpla. Despite the darkness The Dolls’ is very human in scope.
As a person who is a bit wary of short stories due to inconsistent quality, I can recommend The Dolls fully. As an aside the publisher, Lolli has been releasing a lot of great books over the past few years so I know I can trust anything that has their mark on it and The Dolls is no exception.
The title story is about a family who have to glue and dye hair so that the put them on dolls. One day the daughter of the family decides to imprison herself in the cellar. The rest of the story consists of the narrator watching her develop in her enclosed quarters.
To Russia is a more political story, consisting of a government plan going wrong and one of the workers escaping the mess in order to visit his sister. Out of the four stories I found this one to be the most introspective as sibling relationships are described in great detail.
Notpla’s House is the more creepy of the four. A brother and sister are on the run and the sister develops amnesia and starts to bond with a stranger Notpla. The problem lies in the fact that as we readers are not sure if Notpla’s intentions are good or not as he seems to have a dual character what makes things creepier is the appearance of a mysterious old woman.
The story Compartment reminded me of Guy de Maupassant crossed with Kafka: Three siblings have to carry their dead mother with them on a train heading out of Russia and towards Hungary so that they find a decent burial area. This story is the more historical one as it is set against the backdrop of the Russian liberation, which displays the violent acts that were present. Also during this period Russia was experiencing flooding, which proves to be a challenge as well.
Aside from sibling relations these stories are bound together by diseases, historical events and acts of nature. Yet there is something unsettling, dark and foggy. If one takes a look at the book’s cover one can get a feel of the tone of stories. Saying that unlike horror fiction, there’s no twist here. These stories have a realistic edge, which makes the reader empathise with the characters. I will say that I wanted the three siblings to succeed in their mission and shared in their desperation. I was sharing the narrator’s curiosity when seeing his cellar bound sister’s nails. I felt the unease the narrator had about Notpla. Despite the darkness The Dolls’ is very human in scope.
As a person who is a bit wary of short stories due to inconsistent quality, I can recommend The Dolls fully. As an aside the publisher, Lolli has been releasing a lot of great books over the past few years so I know I can trust anything that has their mark on it and The Dolls is no exception.
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
a collection of short horror (when i say horror, it means i screamed in horror) stories that had me goosebumps while reading.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No