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A review by ladybugwrites
Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
The concept of this novel is immensely fascinating and lends so many different directions to take it in. It's well-written and it's a thought experiment that leads the reader to thinking about their own idea of the same concept, to try to answer those questions the narrator constantly asks.
And, unfortuantely, it disappoints.
The first part of this, which is about a clinc for the elder with memory loss to live in the time they do remember, is fascinating and interesting and had me constantly try to figure out what to think of the past. What is the past, when do we classify the past and so on. The book takes this experiment a little further at first, where I don't think there's anything unrealistic about it and find it equally fascinating - to open up the past to everyone, even those with the memories of the present.
This book however, takes this thought experiment even further and loses me about halfway throught. There's still a lot of fascinating things happening and thought provoking ideas of what the past means and what history means, but it takes up so much space in an otherwise interting book to the extent that I didn't care about it. I liked the quietness of the first part and struggled with the expanse of the third one. I wish it had stopped at some point before this, or used the concept of the first idea instead. It was more interesting, it had more merit, and it felt more real. Maybe the book could've done a better job of being the time shelter it talks about.
It is also a hard book to explain without spoiling anything. It's one of those I think you have to understand, to get. But wether that's worth it or not, I'm not entirely sure.
And, unfortuantely, it disappoints.
The first part of this, which is about a clinc for the elder with memory loss to live in the time they do remember, is fascinating and interesting and had me constantly try to figure out what to think of the past. What is the past, when do we classify the past and so on. The book takes this experiment a little further at first, where I don't think there's anything unrealistic about it and find it equally fascinating - to open up the past to everyone, even those with the memories of the present.
This book however, takes this thought experiment even further and loses me about halfway throught. There's still a lot of fascinating things happening and thought provoking ideas of what the past means and what history means, but it takes up so much space in an otherwise interting book to the extent that I didn't care about it. I liked the quietness of the first part and struggled with the expanse of the third one. I wish it had stopped at some point before this, or used the concept of the first idea instead. It was more interesting, it had more merit, and it felt more real. Maybe the book could've done a better job of being the time shelter it talks about.
It is also a hard book to explain without spoiling anything. It's one of those I think you have to understand, to get. But wether that's worth it or not, I'm not entirely sure.