Reviews

An intense grappling with the divinity of God and His power through His powerlessness via the allowance of free will.
Fosse braids together a study of what it means to suffer and live both with and without God using parallel characters (doppelgängers, perhaps?). Two realities intertwine to create paradoxical world that begins weaving time itself together?
All of my thoughts will never be complete with this one. A trilogy spanning 667 pages that is one sentence. I’ve never read such a rhythmic book that mimics being motionless on a sea (I thought of this in book one, and Fosse kind of hammers it home in the second and especially the third). It is incantatory and creates its form through its formlessness? I don’t know, and I don’t think I’ll ever know; just like Asle, the main character, stresses that to know God is to never fully understand Him, that there’s a divinity and holiness in the mysticism shrouding our Creator

hakimbriki's review against another edition

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5.0

It is striking how a book without much intrigue or suspense can be so riveting. This final entry in the Septology delivers an emotional and gut-wrenching climax that is worthy of the journey. Even more astounding is the author's ability to fully preserve the thick layer of mystery enveloping his tale without compromising character development. Asle's arc is one of the most puzzling, searing, and indelible I've ever read.

regineschottker's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

3.5

amongthefaithless's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

outis_metis's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

5.0

checkie's review against another edition

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5.0

Jon Fosse’s Septology (seven sections divided between 3 volumes) is told from the point of view of an ageing widowed painter named Asle living in a rural part of Western Norway. The plot of the novel is sparse, mainly involving Asle’s multiple trips to the city of Bjørgvin (Bergen) to visit a friend and doppelgänger, another ageing painter named Asle and to take his artworks to a gallery for an exhibition. The scarcity of any real plot allows for rich and meaningful meditations on art, life, death and religion, with Fosse focussing on capturing the essence of consciousness in the work rather than any sequence of events.

Fosse writes over 800 pages without using a full stop. Instead, the prose functions as a continuous stream of consciousness, each thought tumbling into the next, seamlessly transitioning from the present day to reminiscences of childhood, getting accepted in art school and meeting and marrying his wife. Asle’s reminiscences are interweaved with brief glimpses to the other Asle in hospital and his respective flashbacks to childhood and adolescence, prompting the reader to question the link between the two (or perhaps one?!) characters.

This was a moving and poignant work that I feel will stay with me for a long time. Jon Fosse is truly unique and exceptional writer and I really look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

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