Scan barcode
A review by lauren_endnotes
Knots: Stories by Gunnhild Øyehaug
4.0
Øyehaug is often described as a "master of short fiction" in her native Norway, and her works are now making their way into English translation.
Many - most? - of the stories are told in present tense, relying on the first-person narrator to describe the events in real time. This combined with the anxiety of her characters can be quite a ride. Opening with "Nice and Mild", we meet a man describing his trip to IKEA to buy blinds for his son's bedroom. Who knew this event could be so riddled with nerves! The stories are short - some only a few paragraphs of flash fiction, others 20+ pages. All read quickly and fast-paced.
Playing with surrealism, a bit of a erotica (surrealrotica?), some staged dramas/choruses, magical realism elements - this was a unique collection that greatly entertained and may be one of my favorite story collections of the year.
Øyehaug has a full-length novel (Wait, Blink) that I'm really interested to try after "dipping my toes" in here!
Many - most? - of the stories are told in present tense, relying on the first-person narrator to describe the events in real time. This combined with the anxiety of her characters can be quite a ride. Opening with "Nice and Mild", we meet a man describing his trip to IKEA to buy blinds for his son's bedroom. Who knew this event could be so riddled with nerves! The stories are short - some only a few paragraphs of flash fiction, others 20+ pages. All read quickly and fast-paced.
Playing with surrealism, a bit of a erotica (surrealrotica?), some staged dramas/choruses, magical realism elements - this was a unique collection that greatly entertained and may be one of my favorite story collections of the year.
Øyehaug has a full-length novel (Wait, Blink) that I'm really interested to try after "dipping my toes" in here!