A Shining is an exceptional read, the writing unlike anything else. The pleasure of reading it is so strong I do not want to tell you the plot or the theme. It is a book I recommend for the experience.
It is a short novella at 74 pages, with a cyclical tone. The story progresses and then retreats a few steps back, yes, moving forward and then backward, repeating, yes, and encountering something new.
A bored man drives his car, turning left, then turning right, and ending up on a dirt track in the woods, it is getting dark. He leaves his car deep in the dark woods, under the dark night sky, as the snow begins to fall. He should go back to the car where it was warm, but walks further into the trees, when he should be going back to the car, yes, where he would be warm. Once the woods darken to black, and the snow lightly falls, he sees an image he cannot discern.
Jon Fosse is a Norwegian writer selected for the 2023 Nobel Prize for literature.
His books have been finalists for the National Book Award, International Booker Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award. His minimalist and introspective plays have made him one of the most performed contemporary playwrights globally - the most performed Norwegian playwright after Ibsen.
There are many other reviews which will describe this book in detail. The writing is mesmerizing, and I feel, can be read on many levels. The man may have discovered something, or merely remembered, or he could not have made a journey at all.
Take the time to read this if you have the chance.
Highly recommended.
2023 / Tradeback / 74 pages
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