Mirror, Shoulder, Signal
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By Dorthe Nors, and and, Misha Hoekstra
avg rating
2 reviews
‘Dorthe Nors is fantastic!’ Junot Díaz
‘Nors’ writing is by turns witty, gut wrenching, stark and lyrical.’ Los Angeles Times
Sonja’s over forty, and she’s trying to move in the right direction. She’s learning to drive. She’s joined a meditation group. And she’s attempting to reconnect with her sister.
But Sonja would rather eat cake than meditate.
Her driving instructor won’t let her change gear.
And her sister won’t return her calls.
Sonja’s mind keeps wandering back to the dramatic landscapes of her childhood – the singing whooper swans, the endless sky, and getting lost barefoot in the rye fields – but how can she return to a place that she no longer recognises? And how can she escape the alienating streets of Copenhagen?Mirror, Shoulder, Signal is a poignant, sharp-witted tale of one woman’s journey in search of herself when there’s no one to ask for directions.
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This is an unassuming story of a lady in her forties dealing with being an adult despite not really wanting the responsibility of having to do so. The story is really told through her inability to communicate with her sister for reasons which seem unclear and her inability to learn to drive - blamed initially on the instructor. It started quite well and there were some amusing parts, but it lost momentum in the middle and never really got back on track. The manner of muddling through life was captured well, but the book just felt like a muddle with no resolution or revelation.
Several members of the group have abandoned reading this as it was considered a bit boring and there is a feeling in our group that there are too many good books out there to finish ones we aren't enjoying. We do still wish Dorthe Nors all the best for the Man Booker International Prize and would try other books by this author. We are #TeamDorthe for #MBI2017
A quiet, insightful book about a Danish woman's attempts to make sense of her past and her future, and reconnect with her estranged family. The novel is driven by Sonja's interior world and her sometimes erratic thought processes; not much really happens, but Sonja heads towards a resolution as she starts to realise where her future lies.
I thought the novel sagged a little in the middle, but generally it's a really thoughtful meditation on memory and place, and how we make sense of our lives when they haven't quite turned out how we expected.
