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Time Shelter
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
27 posts | 18 read | 20 to read
'The most exquisite kind of literature... I've put it on a special shelf in my library that I reserve for books that can never be fully exhausted - books that demand to be revisited every now and then. ' Olga Tokarczuk, author of The Books of Jacob and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 'In equal measure playful and profound, Georgi Gospodinov's Time Shelter renders the philosophical mesmerizing, and the everyday extraordinary. I loved it' Claire Messud, author of The Woman Upstairs 'Gospodinov is one of Europe's most fascinating and irreplaceable novelists, and this his most expansive, soulful and mind-bending book' Dave Eggers, author of The Circle 'A powerful and brilliant novel: clear-sighted, foreboding, enigmatic. A novel in which the future gives way like a rotten beam and the past rushes in like a flood' Sandro Veronesi, author of The Hummingbird 'A trickster at heart, and often very funny... Gospodinov is one of the leading writers in Europe: every book is an event' Garth Greenwell, The New Yorker In Time Shelter, an enigmatic flneur named Gaustine opens a 'clinic for the past' that offers a promising treatment for Alzheimer's sufferers: each floor reproduces a decade in minute detail, transporting patients back in time. As Gaustine's assistant, the unnamed narrator is tasked with collecting the flotsam and jetsam of the past, from 1960s furniture and 1940s shirt buttons to scents and even afternoon light. But as the rooms become more convincing, an increasing number of healthy people seek out the clinic as a 'time shelter', hoping to escape from the horrors of our present - a development that results in an unexpected conundrum when the past begins to invade the present. Intricately crafted, and eloquently translated by Angela Rodel, Time Shelter cements Georgi Gospodinov's reputation as one of the indispensable writers of our times, a major voice in international literature. Georgi Gospodinov is one of Europe's most acclaimed writers. Originally from Bulgaria, his novels have won his country's most prestigious literary prize twice and have been shortlisted for more than a dozen international prizes - including the 2015 PEN Literary Award for Translation, the Premio Gregor von Rezzori, the Premio Strega Europeo, the Bruecke Berlin Preis, and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt Literaturpreis. He has won the 2016 Jan Michalski Prize for Literature, the 2019 Angelus Literature Central Europe Prize and the 2021 Premio Strega Europeo, among others.
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Avanders
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Discovered this at B&N today… anyone read it? Sounds intriguing ☺️

Also, settling in for my #hyggehourreadathon in the bath 🛁 with The Book of Doors 🚪✨🌉

TheBookHippie Oh looks interesting! 3mo
Avanders @TheBookHippie doesn‘t it?! i love this cover too… 3mo
Ruthiella Yes, I‘ve read it. It was good and a tangentially also learned a bit about Bulgaria. 🇧🇬 3mo
Avanders @Ruthiella oooh cool bonus! 🤩 3mo
sarahbarnes I did like this one! Although I was salty that it won the Booker instead of another one I preferred. 😁 3mo
51 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Tonton
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Thanksgiving holiday TBR, part 1! Happy Turkey day, you all🌟

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currentlyreadinginCO
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Pickpick

This book was on my radar because I saw the author on Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, where Rainn travels the world to find happiness -- including to Bulgaria, allegedly the unhappiest country, where Georgi Gospodinov lives and set this novel. I remembered that this book won the Booker and I googled it. I was drawn in by the premise and thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing.

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Jari-chan
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Pickpick

It's really hard for me to write a review about this book. It works on so many different levels and address a lot of very important topics, that I can hardly express my feelings towards this work. It made me think, it involved me, it opened my eyes, it fascinated me. No, it wasn't what I expected it to be, but who could expect what is found in this book? It must've been so hard and difficult to write this, I imagine. I'm amazed.

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TheNeverendingTBR
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Pickpick

"?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??????? ????'? ??????, ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ????"

This was like nothing I've read before.

It's like essays, short stories, anecdotes, satire, diary & notebook entries all in one.

It's a very interesting read, filled with ideas, mesmerising information, and quotes.

It's the most thought-provoking book I've read in a while.

TheBookgeekFrau Oh, wow! Sounds compelling!! I'm terrified of Alzheimer's bc I always fear: if you don't remember your life, what is it all for? But damn, it never occurred to me to look at it the other way--existing in someone else's memory 🤔 ... Anyhoo, I've so stacked this book! 1y
TheKidUpstairs I started this one digitally a while ago, but couldn't engage with it. I think it's one I need a physical copy to read, some books just don't work in all formats! 1y
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SaraBeagle
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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If we are not in someone else‘s memory, do we even exist at all?

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charl08
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Forget those who were stomped under heavy boots, sent to camps. Forget those who were surveilled, lied to, separated, banned, humiliated... all must be for- gotten. And then forget the very forgetting... Forgetting takes a lot of work. You have to constantly remember that you are supposed to forget something. Surely that's how every ideology functions.

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charl08
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov

Yes the past is contagious. The contagion had crept in everywhere. But that wasn't the most frightening part - there were some quickly mutating strains that demolished all immunity. Europe, which had thought that after several serious lapses in reason in the twentieth century it had developed full resistance to certain obsessions, particular types of national madness, and so on, was actually among the first to capitulate...

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charl08
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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What I wouldn't give to find out how Odysseus's story continued.....

I imagine him getting up out of his marriage bed, which he himself had crafted, in the middle of the night, sneaking out so as not to wake Penelope, sitting on the doorstep outside, and remembering everything. That whole twenty-year voyage had become the past, and the moon of that past attracted him ever more strongly, like at high tide.

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charl08
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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This sudden groundswell of people who have lost their memories today is no coincidence... They are here to tell us something. And believe me, one day, very soon, the majority of people will start returning to the past of their own accord, they'll start "losing" their memories willingly. The time is coming when more and more people will want to hide in the cave of the past, to turn back. And not for happy reasons, by the way.

katcalvin *adds to cart* 1y
51 likes1 comment
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RaeLovesToRead
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Ooh, the pages feel nice... maybe they upped the quality after this won the International Booker! 😁

Note to everyone: if I ever start to lose my memory, please DO NOT place me on the 90s floor. The 90s were rubbish and this would be my idea of a living hell.

I would go AWOL and they'd find me hiding out on the Art Deco floor pretending I'm in an episode of Poirot.

BarbaraBB The cover is great too! I loved the premise of this book but unfortunately it became too abstract for me. Which floor can we take you to if it isn‘t the 90s? 😀 1y
RaeLovesToRead @BarbaraBB Aesthetically I'd go for the 1920s-1930s, but I'm fine with 2010s too! For now... Or maybe you can just give me a badge that says "Book Monitor" and I can dip from floor to floor. 1y
BarbaraBB I‘ll come with you, as as book monitor 😉 1y
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RaeLovesToRead @BarbaraBB Awesome! We need to make sure no copies of Cloud Atlas have sneaked onto the 70s floor. It's important work 🧐 1y
vivastory Lol...as someone who was a teen in the 90s I find myself missing the 90s once in awhile 1y
BekaReid very intriguing cover 1y
The_Penniless_Author @RaeLovesToRead The 2010s?! 🤮 Rae, it hurts me to even read that. 1y
RaeLovesToRead @vivastory Maybe the 90s were better in the USA? 😂 1y
RaeLovesToRead @BekaReid It attracted me. That and the premise 1y
RaeLovesToRead @The_Penniless_Author I meant like the modern era! You may still be hanging out wearing brown bell bottoms but the rest of us have moved on lol 1y
The_Penniless_Author @RaeLovesToRead Yeah, when I think "90s" I always think "brown bell bottoms". ? And also, the entire premise of the book is people living in the past, i.e., NOT moving on. 1y
RaeLovesToRead @The_Penniless_Author 70s 🙄 obviously! Or were the 70s different in the states? 1y
77 likes12 comments
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Tripex
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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BarbaraBB
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Well🤷🏻‍♀️ of course the winner of the #internationalbookerprize is one of my least favorites again but I have to admit the premise of this one is fantastic. A man creates spaces completely similar to how they were in a certain year for people with dementia. I loved being in those rooms and recognized much but the book got a bit out of control in my opinion.

Ruthiella Ah well. I think I will only read Boulder based on your and other reviews. 2y
BarbaraBB @Ruthiella Maybe Still Born too, if you can get your hands on it 😉 2y
batsy My reaction to the winner was also pretty much "Ah, well" @Ruthiella The theme is important but the book itself doesn't grab me... 2y
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The_Penniless_Author @batsy @Ruthiella This was a low pick for me. It did get pretty shaggy and tedious towards the end, but I liked the underlying idea and appreciated the ambition behind it. I also used to live in Bulgaria, so probably appreciated the sections/commentary on Bulgaria more than most people did. 2y
BarbaraBB @The_Penniless_Author That‘s how I felt too. The underlying idea is great. Interesting you lived in Bulgaria. I recently read another book set there. 2y
The_Penniless_Author I never heard of that book or Garth Greenwell before. I'm kind of interested to learn more now. It looks like he lived in BG about 5+ years after I left, and he taught English at a private college for diplomats' kids and one-percenters, so I'd be curious to see how different our experiences were. 2y
jlhammar I‘m planning to read Boulder and Still Born (out here in the US Aug 8) thanks to your reviews. Both sound fantastic. Might give Time Shelter a try eventually. The premise does sound intriguing. 2y
sarahbarnes I agree. I can see why it won, but I would‘ve rather seen Boulder or Still Born take the prize. 2y
Cinfhen I‘ve seen so many positive reviews for Boulder so I think I‘ll give that one a go and skip Time Shelter. It‘s still super expensive and not a book im eager to read 🤷🏼‍♀️ 2y
BarbaraBB @The_Penniless_Author I found it an interesting read and it felt authentic. I think you maybe can relate to it in some ways! 2y
BarbaraBB @jlhammar They really are. I hope you‘ll think so too! 2y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen Boulder is your kind of book too I think! 2y
Megabooks That‘s a fantastic cover though! 1y
73 likes13 comments
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BarbaraBB
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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#BookReport 19/23

Boulder made my week. What a book. So much said in so few pages. The Hiding Place was slow pick, Time Shelter and The Mandibles were both a bit disappointing for me.

TrishB At least you had a brilliant one 😁 2y
squirrelbrain One fabulous book makes up for the others…. 2y
BarbaraBB You‘re all very right, it absolutely does! @TrishB @squirrelbrain @Cinfhen 2y
sarahbarnes Sorry that Time Shelter was disappointing. I found it interesting and unnerving but I wouldn‘t say I loved it. 2y
76 likes5 comments
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BarbaraBB
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Mehso-so

This book has the best of premises. A man creates spaces for people with Alzheimer‘s that resemble a certain year in the past. They can hide here and feel at ease again. However more and more people want to return to the past, even without Alzheimer‘s.

There are many fragmented stories in the book, too many in my opinion, and I felt lost at times. So I loved the first half but have been skimming the second one. #internationalbooker

jlhammar Lovely photo. That premise sounds so intriguing! 2y
Cuilin This is the one that the Booker quiz said I should read. On my TBR. 2y
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 2y
Tamra Great premise! 2y
Suet624 Haha. My first thought was, yeah, I‘d want to go back too. 2y
80 likes5 comments
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sarahbarnes
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Pickpick

An inventive and deeply unsettling book. It delves into the impact of time on us as individuals and our desire to slow it down, as well as ways we have nostalgia for the past. In the second half it takes a dark turn that feels very close to home these days, looking at how dangerous a collective desire for the past can be. A very interesting read. #booker2023

BarbaraBB I am just starting this one. Glad you enjoyed it! 2y
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charl08
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Well, if the quiz results say so, then I guess I should?

#InternationalBooker

BarbaraBB That‘s gonna be my next one too, from the longlist! 2y
39 likes1 comment
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thereflectiveflaneur
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Pickpick

Marvellous! Quirky! But asks so many important questions about memory and identity. The exploration of modern history is also very interesting and intriguing! Brilliant time spent in a captivating world!

BarbaraBB I just bought a copy. Looking forward to it now! 2y
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ClairesReads
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Mehso-so

a novel that I found incredibly interesting at an ideas level. Gospodinov is explores time, history, and our relationship with the past in such an original way and this novel has all sorts of insightful things to say about these themes. Unfortunately it is also a novel that kept me at arms length. Structurally the sections didn‘t hang together as a cohesive narrative. This meant that the central characters never became three-dimensional for me.

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rockpools
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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🤯

batsy Not sure if the emoji means this is mind-blowingly bad or good 😁 2y
BarbaraBB I was wondering the same. Just bought this one 😇 2y
rockpools @BarbaraBB @batsy I think I‘d recommend it to both of you. I didn‘t love it (I didn‘t much like it til near the end) but it‘s FULL of ideas on time, nostalgia, nationalism, Europe, loneliness etc etc. I‘d describe it as good AND mind-blowing rather than mind-blowingly good. 2y
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rockpools @BarbaraBB @batsy Have either of you read the Maryse Conde yet? I am struggling! 2y
batsy @rockpools Ooh, yes! Thank you. It does sound rather like my kind of thing 🙂 2y
BarbaraBB I have the Conde lined up for next month. You make it sound hard. Thanks for the heads-up on this one! 2y
rockpools @BarbaraBB It‘s not hard in a difficult kind of way. More in a ‘I don‘t get it‘ kind of way. I‘m sure you‘ll get along with it better! 2y
29 likes7 comments
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The_Penniless_Author
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Pickpick

An interesting and at times surreal exploration of the past, how we remember it and how it affects the present. The beginning of the book - set in a clinic where Alzheimer's patients live on floors that reproduce prior decades, of which they still have vivid memories - was excellent, but as the story shifts from the personal to the national level, with entire countries voting on which past era they would like to live in, it grew more mixed.

The_Penniless_Author Part 4 is little more than a laundry list of European countries, which decade they chose, and why - a bit tedious and not all that insightful. The narrative device at the end, where the author begins losing his own memory and can no longer distinguish himself from one of his characters, Borges-style, doesn't add much to the story either. Still, I can always forgive ambitious faults, and the good far outweighs the bad here. 2y
47 likes1 comment
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Valiseb
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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And as the monsters come out from the past they settle in the man. Gaustin ( The yellow notebook)

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Valiseb
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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Happiness is not only impossible, but also unbearable. What will you do with its volatile matter? This ghostly light, soapy bubble that will burst in front of your nose, leaving a bit of hot foam in your eyes. Happiness? Happiness is impermanent - like milk in the sun, like a fly in winter and a crocus in early spring. His back as fragile as a dragonfly... Happiness is not in the history books.

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Valiseb
Time Shelter | Georgi Gospodinov
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We are the apocalypse of the world.

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