In the middle of nowhere (ok, in Norway, in a little industrial city which economy is based on oil, and where 'crazy' capitalism has taken over), some characters' lifes get entangled with surprising consequences.
But who cares about the plot? Because it is pretty clear that Fløgstad doesn't. This is a story that goes from A-ish to somewhere-ish, with simply depicted but full of life characters, whose motivations are a little bit cardboard-y. And that is because Fløgstad cares more about atmosphere, situations, use of language and criticize the modern (and not so modern) capitalist consummerist world.
And how does he fare? He actually does a really good job at it, with a great use of language (smartly translated; I can't read Norwegian), beautiful depicted situations and a clear critique of Norway and the world. At the same time, it is all kind of a mess, the story getting more and more convoluted as it goes along, difficult for the reader to care for the characters and what goes on, and with a couple of situations/comments on society that seem a little bit old fashioned (or they come out that way).
Interesting read but it fizzles a little bit along the way.
The best: Fløgstad knows how to write (and the translation is great); the sarcasm and irony that permeates the text
The worst: it is all kind of a mess; the unnecessary 'physical' moments
Further reading: David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf, Karl Ove Knausgård, Margaret Atwood, Shiwon Miura, Kôtarô Isaka, Jaume Cabré...
7/10
(Castilian translation by Kirsti Baggethun & Asunción Lorenzo)
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