The Door in Overdue Podcast

Apr 02, 2022 Jason rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

The Door is a fitting title, it speaks to the mysterious elements of the story, but it could have just as easily, and arguably more aptly, been named Emerence for it is a character study with a bit of mystery built in, but then Emerence is the mystery of this story. We are introduced immediately to the fact that her door remains closed, that she involves herself in others' lives, is central in so many people, including our narrator, but Emerence only begrudgingly allows dribs and drabs of her ow The Door is a fitting title, it speaks to the mysterious elements of the story, but it could have just as easily, and arguably more aptly, been named Emerence for it is a character study with a bit of mystery built in, but then Emerence is the mystery of this story. We are introduced immediately to the fact that her door remains closed, that she involves herself in others' lives, is central in so many people, including our narrator, but Emerence only begrudgingly allows dribs and drabs of her own life story to be revealed. Emerence is a stoic figure, a dynamic and inspiring woman, she is an enigma (Emerence the Enigma could have been another possible title, but it's a bit too cutesy for this book). This book is sweet in it's melancholy way, it paints a portrait of love, admiration, and bitter disappointments. Love and powerful relationships are unavoidably messy much of the time, and that is certainly true of our narrator, Magda, and Emerence - so many regrets. The many layers of Emerence are revealed to us in time, along with many of the reasons for them, and of course before the end we do glimpse behind the titular door, but much is still left only suggested, artfully and delicately built without needing to state outright, and that is beautiful.

“Emerence was spontaneously good, unthinkingly generous, able to reveal her orphaned condition only to another orphan, but never giving voice to her utter loneliness.”
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“The old woman was interested only in giving, and if anyone tried to surprise her with something, she never smiled, she flew into a rage.”
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“Everything has to be done properly, even death.”

I am not sure what more to say about Emerence. She lived through her share of tragedies, but she would never consent to being called a victim. She was a force of nature, often surprising, but always "correct" in all she did - for she lived by a very particular set of principles, even when they were not evident to those around her. I feel like I want to refer to her as "our Emerence" because in some way she seemed to belong to all that lived in the neighborhood and to all that read this book, but that is folly, Emerence was her own woman, belonging to no one person other than herself, not even those she loved so fiercely. With the close of the book I say farewell to Emerence, a woman of dignity and strength, deserving of much respect.

P.S. - A thought I was left with is one around how we treat our elderly. There often comes a point where we need to address the conflict between one's dignity and their physical safety/needs. It is a delicate topic. Where does one get prioritized over the other and is the cost worth it? Worth it to whom? ...more

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Feb 28, 2025 Valeriia Arnaud rated it really liked it

Shelves: _buckwheat_book_club_, hungary

У вас колись були токсичні стосунки? Прочитайте цю книгу, і дізнаєтеся, що, мабуть, все ж таки не було 🥲
Читати жахливо неприємно, але відірватися неможливо.

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Apr 27, 2024 Nicola rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: in-translation

Brilliant and compelling and I will never read it again. It’s unusual in that most domestic tragedies I’ve read are from the viewpoint of the destroyed - though, I suppose our writer is too. Still: Emerence, o Emerence! Singular, rigid and unyielding, an exemplification of morality and how it destroys and is oft destroyed in turn on contact with the all too human world.

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