PotsandPlots

Inevitably, I’m falling massively behind with my book reviews. The nice weather means spare time has been spent outside, and taking on both #SixOnSaturday and The Book Blogger Hop has meant less time to spend writing reviews.

I’m trying to get back on track with some shorter form reviews, which I am calling “Seedling Reviews.” It feels like the best place to start is with Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume Vol II, as many of my original thoughts haven’t changed since Vol 1. (TL;DR – It’s amazing, read it!)

Growing Information:

Plant With: Speculative Fiction, Groundhog Day, The Human Condition.

Grows Into: If Vol I explored Time, then Vol II explores Place.

Rating: Hardy Perennial 🌻🌻🌻(Check here for rating information.)

Available now in paperback (affiliate link).

The Review:

Having been introduced the the premise and the Balle’s spare writing style, in Vol I, Vol II, didn’t blow me away in quite the same way. Nevertheless, the series continues to be one of the more remarkable fictional journies I have embarked upon.

In this book Tara goes in search of seasons. She’s stuck on the same day in November, on the cusp of of Winter, but can she change that? By moving north or south, she can experience something close to true seasons and perhaps, remove the feeling of being stuck in Limbo.

This book highlights the importance of the planet’s rhythm to happiness and wellbeing. The heat on our faces, the cosiness and warmth of a fire in winter. (Being November, she doesn’t ever manage to capture the spirit of regeneration found in Spring). Seasons allow us to experience the flow of time and this is something that Tara craves.

Once again, I found this book remarkable. I had to slow myself down. The text is easy to read but this is not a book that should be rushed. Tara’s journey through her seasons, sees her experience many different facets of European culture, both good and bad. As she does so she learns (as do we) a little more about the rules of her new existence.

The novel ends on a bombshell – all the more shattering for the slow unfolding of Tara’s days, that means Vol III demands to be read as soon as possible.