The Mookse and the Gripes discussion
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On the Calculation of Volume I
International Booker Prize
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2025 Int Booker shortlist - On the Calculation of Volume I
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It feels a bit frustrating for a prize to feature a book that is clearly only a small part of a novel, rather than a novel (more so than some other books like Ferrante's or Fosse's I'd say), and I do think the judges could have been braver and nominated Volumes I and II together given they are published on the same day. The Nordic Council Literature Prize, by contrast, was awarded to Volumes I-III as a whole (there are now V volumes overall of the planned VII).
That said the prose is excellent and I am now keen to read Volume II - indeed may interrupt my Booker reading to do so.
My quote heavy review - I see Henk's of the Dutch volume is similar - here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Have to say these books are a bit addictive - I finished Volume I, at 11.30pm, then immediately read Volume II straight through finishing past 1am. Not sure where the series goes in Volume III appeals so much - but let's see when it comes out - she certainly ends II on a cliffhanger.
Addictive is the right word... Volume III is for me the best so far, and I am very impatiently waiting for IV...
I'm unclear - does anyone whose read more volumes, or seen interviews know? - whether this is a Harry Potteresque series of books where the author has an underlying plan of where it's all going. Or - which I suspect - she is working through ideas as she writes them, almost alongside the narrator.And whether parts of one book have later significance. E.g. the Roman coin from Volume I, which is symbolic of her last 'normal' day as well as the way certain objects behave, in Volume II catches her attention (she has largely forgotten it) and prompt a whole digression on the Romans. Volume III?
If she has a master plan and seeming irrelevant asides in one book have big pre-planned repercussions several volumes later then the other worry is will she ever finish the series or will each volume take longer and longer to write … as that sounds more like George R Martin
The translator (born 1951) has actually expressed concerns as to whether she will still be translating by the time the later volumes appear (although we're at 5 of 7 already in the original).The real worry will be if there's a TV series - but it lacks gratuitous nudity and dragons so probably not.
Think of the fun George Martin would have though with a book whose crucial scene, where she realises that her days are repeating starts as follows: It dawned on me at breaking the fast (in the D&D translation - the English has 'breakfast')
The translator is not translating volumes 3 and 4 is she - at least according to the book listings.
Haveland has mentioned her retirement in interviews, but had to at least translate volumes one and two because she loved them so much.https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/...
Thanks - I think that’s the interview Paul quotes where she says she may not see it through to Volume 7 but I was then surprised to see she had already stopped at Volume 2 (I would think that decision must have been around the time of the interview). I would think it might mean a discontinuity in the series in terms of translation style but there was an abrupt enough change anyway between I and II with the same translator.
Also (see Perfection thread) a Guardian interview with author of this one:https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
For me the fascinating comment is “In part three, which Faber will publish in English in November, translated as the others have been by Barbara J Haveland” which fits when Faber won the first three volumes and the Bookseller said her were all Haveland translated. But the New Directions book for III has two other translators on the cover.
Perhaps two different sets of translators - it has happened before eg in 2014 when Mend the Living made the International Booker but the US version had a different translator (and a different title). Unlikely though.
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Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer
(last edited Mar 30, 2025 01:45AM)
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rated it 4 stars
Also would it really hurt Faber or the uk publishing trade to publish a book on a Tuesday just for one time.
The third is listed for preorder on Waterstones, releasing on 20 November (shame it’s not the 18th).Translators are Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell, and The Guardian has now added a correction its article.
That was my reference to publishing on a Tuesday just this once.
volumes three & four are listed to publish on November 18th, from New Directions!
Aren’t US new releases normally on a Tuesday. In the UK it’s Thursday which is why it’s disappointing the one-off effort isn’t being made.
Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "Aren’t US new releases normally on a Tuesday. In the UK it’s Thursday which is why it’s disappointing the one-off effort isn’t being made."Correct
oh gotcha! didn’t look up the day of the week for the 18th, just thought it was for this. but nice anyway!
It is really neat
haven’t listened yet, but Shakespeare & Co interview with Balle is out for anyone interested: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Paul wrote: "I'm unclear - does anyone whose read more volumes, or seen interviews know? - whether this is a Harry Potteresque series of books where the author has an underlying plan of where it's all going. Or..."I heard Balle last year at a local library and as I recall she claimed to not have a masterplan, but having to write the next one to find out where it goes :)
I felt that was fairly clear from the second novel which was inconsistent with the first (and internally) - it put me off the series or at least dampened my enthusiasm for the first.
I seem to be more lukewarm on this one than most folks. Maybe it just isn’t the kind of book that resonates with me—I didn’t enjoy Haushofer’s The Wall either, which this is often compared to. It’s undeniably well written, but I found it a bit of a slog. The protagonist’s choices didn’t always feel logical or grounded. That said, I’m still a little curious about where the story is headed, so I might check out volume two. But for now, I’m not quite sure I get the hype.
Kuba wrote: "I seem to be more lukewarm on this one than most folks. Maybe it just isn’t the kind of book that resonates with me—I didn’t enjoy Haushofer’s The Wall either, which this is often compared to. It’s..."I'm also quite lukewarm on this. It seemed... a waste of a good concept. And like it could have been boiled down to 50 pages and therefore the septology boiled down to a duology (at best).
On the Calculation of Volume I, written by Solvej Balle and translated by Barbara J. Haveland, follows Tara Selter – a woman who has slipped out of time. Every morning, she wakes up to the 18th of November. She no longer expects to wake up to the 19th of November, and she no longer remembers the 17th of November as if it were yesterday. As Tara approaches her 365th 18th of November, she can’t shake the feeling that somewhere underneath the surface of this day, there’s a way to escape.
Find out more about the International Booker 2025-longlisted book: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booke...