Grab Broken Fabricated By Karin Fossum Accessible In Edition
Fossum's experimental exercise How disappointing was this book to me Very, Few things bore me more than authors who write about writing, the process or the conceptual proclivities, But one of them may be milquetoast men who are morose and fairly OCD controlling, Some of her stand alones are excellent, I don't need a Sejer, And I am still a fan,
Her skill in writing characterization and her locale feel here were as crisp as always, But the gimmick and the interplay for plot Not a winner, Sincerely hope this isn't a sign she is going into magic realism or back to poetry, No, Karin, no! Broken
by Karin Fossum
Book by Jay Gilbertson
Imagine waking up late one night and theres a man standing next to your bed.
Youd freakright Well not author Fossum, She just sat up and had a chat with the guy, Like she was expecting him and actually she was, Welcome to the strange world of Alvar Eide,
Though its hard to decide how in the world this novel is a mystery as the cover would have you believe, pay careful attention its slyly revealed.
And one also has to keep in mind that this is a translated work and perhaps the authors voice was somehow muddled or reworked.
Since I dont know Norwegian, though I do have some coursing through my veins, I had to rely on Charlotte Barslunds the translator expertise in capturing Fossums voice.
And what a voice.
From the start there is a subtle tension that draws you into the bizarre world of how a story could unfold.
The writing is spare and concise and impeccable, Chapters move from the character, Alvar, living his odd, lonely life as an art dealer to his interaction with Fossum.
Of course youre never sure if indeed the character is actually speaking with the author or if this is yet another character.
Therein lies the mystery and yet if you whittle things down a bit and are able to put the book aside and consider the odd use of having a character actually involved in the formation of how his life will or wont actually turn outits really a mind benderand its fun.
“Well, I would hate to be a nuisance, I have absolutely no wish to intrudeIm not normally like this, But the thing is, Ive been waiting for so long and I just cant bear it any longerIm waiting for my story to be told.
”
Fossum treats Alvar with a refreshing kindness that I really appreciated, Most authors like to drag their characters through all sorts of misery and heartache and loss and then, in the last breath, in strolls a ray of hope in all its glory.
No, instead, this man is someone we know, A true outsider, yet with all the humanness each and every one of us struggles with, One of the main themes of this story is the hunger we all have, in one degree or another to belong.
And the other is simply to do the right thing and as we humans do some of us anyway we wonder just what in the world is The Right Thing
One day as Alvar is living through his tightly structured life, in walks a very troubled young woman and viola, the story takes a twisty turn and thats all Im gunna say about that.
An aspect, or character flaw that made me a little crazy was how, no matter what was heaped into Alvars path, he did nothing.
Several times I really wanted to reach into the story and smack him and tell him to “Wake up!”
If I had to classify this novel I would call it a very dark character study and a really compelling readnot for everyonebut perfect for you
I liked Broken, I thought it was an interesting premise.
. . the writer and the character, It's a departure from Forum's Sejer books, all of which I've read and loved, I have a hard time with stuff about junkies, Been around way too many of them, had too many friends who have lost a child to the current opioid foolishness for me to be sympathetic.
Alvar, it's hard to imagine anyone that close to jumping out of his own skin on a daily basis.
But, it's interesting watching him unfold, I enjoyed the art parts, This unconventional novel by Karin Fossum will delight some readers and, I suspect, confuse and frustrate others, Fossum, a Norwegian, is perhaps best known for her crime fiction series featuring Inspector Konrad Sejer, Here she attempts something completely different and unusual,
As the book opens, a middle aged female writer whose name we never learn, is cowering behind her curtains
one night, looking down her driveway at the long line of characters who are waiting for her to tell their stories.
The weight of the burden the characters impose upon her is almost too much to bear and she turns to drink and pills to get her through the night.
On this night, though, she awakens, panicked, in the middle of the night to find a man in her room.
One of her upcoming characters has jumped the line and invaded her bedroom, He insists that the writer tell his story now, The writer tries to explain that the man must wait his turn, but he's worried because the writer is getting older and is not taking very good care of herself.
He's desperately afraid that she might die before getting to him and that his story will never be told.
Reluctantly, the woman agrees to his request, and the man comes to life on her computer as Alvar Eide.
He's single, in his early forties, and works in an art gallery, He's a very quiet, mildmannered man who has difficulty relating to other people, But his life is wellordered and he is content with it, Then one bitterly cold afternoon a young female drug addict stumbles into the gallery in an effort to get warm and Alvar does something totally out of character.
Rather than immediately insisting that she leave the gallery, he offers her a cup of coffee, and this simple act will change the course of his life.
As the story progresses, Alvar continues to periodically interrupt the writer, He is concerned about the way he is being portrayed he fears for what might happen to him, The writer patiently explains that once things are set in motion, she has little or no control, She must follow the story wherever it leads her, and Alvar must accept the consequences, Alvar is not sure he likes this at all, but watching his progress and observing his interaction with his creator is a fascinating experience.
Writers often say that characters sometimes assume a life of their own and I suspect that this is a difficult thing to grasp for people who are not writers and who assume that writers have complete control of the stories they write and the characters they create.
But while a writer might consciously plan out a book to the last detail, that carefully constructed plan often cannot account for the actions of a mischievous subconscious.
Perhaps only another writer who has experienced that moment when, seemingly out of nowhere a character says or does something that takes you completely by surprise, can really appreciate what Fossum has done here.
Which is to say that I enjoyed this book immensely, but I can understand why others might not be as enthused about it as I am.
Read this for the sitelinkReading Rush prompt "book you meant to read last year", I originally planned to read Cain's Blood, but like/chapters in I just couldn't put up with all the shitty, offensive things in it.
I generally finish every book I pick up, but if I'm not feeling it within the first few chapters, I just call it, and to me, that's not worth of reviewing/rating/shelving, because it's basically just sampling.
ANYWAYS. I don't know what this book is, A small portion is an author talking to her character, and the rest is a sixteen year old addict taking advantage of her character, and said character whining about things he doesn't make any effort to change and making horrible decisions.
It's frustrating, it's weird, it's repetitive, it's kind of sad, it's, . . I don't even know. I don't see how this is mystery/thriller, I guess this is a two star, It's not bad and I don't hate it, I just don't get it and it didn't do anything for me.
Rep: Unnamed female author MC has anxiety and depression, Alvar MC is gay and depressed,
Content/trigger warnings for ableism, anxiety, depression, discussion of past suicide attempt, suicidal ideation, addiction, needles, drugs, alcohol, car accident, blood, death, toxic relationship,.