The common theme in these two recently published novels is a woman experiencing an existential crisis, taking stock of where she’s got to in life by ordering the elements that make up her external world. Sonja, the older of the two, does this through taking driving lessons, and it’s no coincidence that she struggles to take control. Miriam, past adolescence although not yet fully fledged adult, tries to achieve something similar by jettisoning her surplus possessions, and through those of a compulsive hoarder she’s employed to help. Needless to say, neither woman’s path to a more comfortable accommodation with herself is straightforward. Curious? Read on!
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Mirror, Shoulder, Signal by Dorthe Nors, translated by Misha Hoekstra
Sonja is learning to drive, but her first teacher won’t allow her to change gear and her second covers her hand on the gear stick with his. Spending her working hours at the keyboard, translating the gruesome crime novels of a popular Swedish author into Danish, she visits a massage therapist to alleviate the tension in her back and shoulders, but Ellen is partial to the supernatural and perceives psychic metaphor in physical pain. This is particularly irritating when it comes to the positional vertigo, with which it might not be such a good idea to drive.
Now in her 40s, Sonja moved to Copenhagen as a student, glad to leave behind smalltown life in rural Jutland. Although she’s always been happy with her own company, she’s now lonely, unable to reconnect with her sister and nostalgic for the dramatic landscapes of her childhood. It’s perhaps no coincidence that she finds herself better at reversing than driving forward, but can she embrace the future without backtracking on life?
With just the right balance of poignancy and humour (I didn’t laugh once, but I certainly smiled) and, while definitely a novel of character, just enough plot, Mirror, Shoulder, Signal is a lovely story about navigating contemporary life as a single woman. Or indeed, as a city dweller who yearns for the countryside; an introvert who craves authentic intimacy; or anyone unsure how to respond when others fail to respect their boundaries. (In addition to the driving instructors and massage therapist who go beyond their professional boundaries, Sonja’s best friend, Molly, is a psychologist who chats about her clients when they meet up for dinner.) Thanks to Pushkin Press for my review copy.
My TBR shelf has been overflowing in recent months, but I was prompted to read this one by Irene Waters’ Past Times prompt for November on the subject of driving which seems to have provoked some humorous memories. Why not pop over and share yours?
Now in her 40s, Sonja moved to Copenhagen as a student, glad to leave behind smalltown life in rural Jutland. Although she’s always been happy with her own company, she’s now lonely, unable to reconnect with her sister and nostalgic for the dramatic landscapes of her childhood. It’s perhaps no coincidence that she finds herself better at reversing than driving forward, but can she embrace the future without backtracking on life?
With just the right balance of poignancy and humour (I didn’t laugh once, but I certainly smiled) and, while definitely a novel of character, just enough plot, Mirror, Shoulder, Signal is a lovely story about navigating contemporary life as a single woman. Or indeed, as a city dweller who yearns for the countryside; an introvert who craves authentic intimacy; or anyone unsure how to respond when others fail to respect their boundaries. (In addition to the driving instructors and massage therapist who go beyond their professional boundaries, Sonja’s best friend, Molly, is a psychologist who chats about her clients when they meet up for dinner.) Thanks to Pushkin Press for my review copy.
My TBR shelf has been overflowing in recent months, but I was prompted to read this one by Irene Waters’ Past Times prompt for November on the subject of driving which seems to have provoked some humorous memories. Why not pop over and share yours?
Making Space by Sarah Tierney
Reading Sarah Tierney’s debut novel, I was careful to ensure Mr A didn’t see the cover. Not that it isn’t a great cover, but I didn’t want to raise his expectations that I was researching a solution to my own hoarding habit. But my reluctance to jettison anything that might come in useful later is nothing compared with Erik’s, a forty-five-year-old photographer and collage artist who has filled almost every room in his large house with stacks of books and magazines. When the narrator, Miriam, is employed to help catalogue and eventually reduce his stock of paper, she’s just taken almost all her possessions to a charity shop as part of an attempt to break away from her image as dull and aimless. Can she help Erik create sufficient space in the house for his teenage daughter to move back home?
Although the wit and polish the opening pages raised my expectations of something deeper, this is a competent exploration of our relationship with stuff, and its origins in attachment issues, framed by a May-to-September romance. While mostly set in the city of Manchester, I was delighted when Miriam and Erik took a trip to Morecambe, calling in at the same hotel (although unnamed in both) where Liesel and Steve stayed my second novel, Underneath. Although no longer the season for holiday reads – unless Christmas counts – Making Space would merit a space in your suitcase, especially if staying in an Art Deco hotel in a rundown northern seaside resort. Thanks to Sandstone Press for my review copy. For another novel about overzealous collectors, see my review of Lost Time Accidents.
Although the wit and polish the opening pages raised my expectations of something deeper, this is a competent exploration of our relationship with stuff, and its origins in attachment issues, framed by a May-to-September romance. While mostly set in the city of Manchester, I was delighted when Miriam and Erik took a trip to Morecambe, calling in at the same hotel (although unnamed in both) where Liesel and Steve stayed my second novel, Underneath. Although no longer the season for holiday reads – unless Christmas counts – Making Space would merit a space in your suitcase, especially if staying in an Art Deco hotel in a rundown northern seaside resort. Thanks to Sandstone Press for my review copy. For another novel about overzealous collectors, see my review of Lost Time Accidents.
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