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A Shining
A Shining | Jon Fosse
3 posts | 3 read | 5 to read
Strange, haunting and dreamlike, A Shining is the latest work of fiction by Jon Fosse, 'the Beckett of the twenty-first century' (Le Monde).
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Bigwig
A Shining | Jon Fosse
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Pickpick

It‘s strange, but it worked for me. I imagine it won‘t work for every reader. If you dream a lot, really vivid dreams with places and people you know, it might speak to you. The author is writing from deep contexts of myth, faith, dreams, and love. I wouldn‘t read it again, but I give the author credit for doing something completely different and I enjoyed the journey. In fact, I may read it again. It‘s hard to say. It‘s that kind of book.

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ClairesReads
A Shining | Jon Fosse
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Mehso-so

An odd little novella/short story that was a bit more Christian spiritual musings than Beckett-esque rumination on the universe for this reader. Obscure and indirect in a way that didn‘t bother me- a worthwhile read, if not an entirely convincing or moving one for me.

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batsy
A Shining | Jon Fosse
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Pickpick

A man goes into the woods on a cold day. Things are strange. Is it a dream or a nightmare? Is it a spiritual awakening or a kind of religious allegory? It's a novella that's easy to mock, & I did roll my eyes at one point, but it also exerts a kind of force. I wanted to laugh it off, but couldn't. It's a tad hackneyed, but also unnerving & mystical. Something compels you to want to linger in these woods, but you also want to get away from it.

BarbaraBB Intrigued by your review! 9mo
sarahbarnes Wow, very intriguing review! 9mo
Tamra I‘ve wanted to try Fosse, but haven‘t taken the plunge yet. 9mo
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KathyWheeler What an interesting review! 9mo
lil1inblue Interesting.... 9mo
Ruthiella But a novella length, which is wise IMO. I‘m thinking of DNFing Dhalgren because that kind of fever dream narrative should not go on for 800 pages. 9mo
batsy @Tamra I've only read this prior to A Shining, and I'm keen to read the whole sequence (Septology) but it's the kind of writing that needs minimal interruptions 😬 9mo
batsy @BarbaraBB @sarahbarnes @KathyWheeler @lil1inblue It's a tough book to review so I tried my best to sum up the experience of reading it 😅 9mo
Billypar Great review! I can sympathize with your ambivalence - sometimes I think I enjoy novels that are ambitious yet flawed more than the safe and 'perfect' variety. 9mo
batsy @Ruthiella Oh yes, this one couldn't have gone on any longer, in the sense that it has no plot. Dhalgren is something I would like to read... I want to try Delany but I'm so intimidated. And if you're struggling with it I'll put it on the back burner for a few more years 😆 9mo
batsy @Billypar Thank you! I think I do, too 9mo
batsy @Billypar (whoops, hit send too soon). There's something admirable about writers trying to achieve some sort of transcendence in their writing, even if I might not get it at the time. 9mo
vivastory I ALMOST checked this out recently & your review is making me wish I had, I completely understand what you mean though about somewhat hackneyed religious allegory bc that is exactly how I felt reading Coetzee's “Childhood of Jesus“ last yr. Still going to check this one out 8mo
batsy @vivastory That's a Coetzee I haven't read but the only one I did read, Disgrace, I found fully unnerving and can still remember bits of how fearful it made me years later. I think Fosse is an interesting writer and I found the first two books of the Septology very compelling. I need to read the rest! 8mo
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