A review by madgerdes
The Wall by Marlen Haushofer, Marlen Haushofer

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This is another book I don’t know how to rate!! It’s hard to distill my experience of reading this down to one number! That tension comes down to 1) while I was actively reading, I found the book to be quietly profound (being moved by mundanity, etc). The portrayal of the forest, the animals, and the passage of time were beautiful and complex! 2) While I wasn’t actively reading the book, I didn’t find myself thinking about going back to read more? When I’m really engrossed in a book it’ll pop into my mind throughout the day, but this book didn’t really pass through my mind until I settled down to read for the evening (as usual). 

Now that I’m typing this out, I wonder if that’s part of what this book has communicated to me! Life can be mundane and mysterious at the same time, sometimes we just have to trudge forward even if we lose our curiosity about where it’s going?? Because it’s going somewhere! And we’ll get there eventually! I’m rambling now but I think I enjoyed this book more than I realized. I can see myself reading it again.