Foto do autor
2 Works 43 Membros 2 Reviews

Obras de Klara Hveberg

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Data de nascimento
1974-08-19
Sexo
female
Nacionalidade
Norway
Locais de residência
Norway
Educação
University of Oslo
Ocupação
Novelist
Mathematician

Membros

Resenhas

Klara Hveberg’s stunning debut novel reaches to the core of what it means to be human and vulnerable. Rakel is an only child, the prodigiously gifted daughter of a Norwegian father and Asian mother. She grows up in a small town, raised in an intellectually vibrant household immersed in art, music and literature. Not surprisingly, with her intellect setting her apart from her peers, she is often lonely and has difficulty making friends. As she matures, a passion for numbers and patterns emerges, which after high school motivates her to pursue a career in mathematics. She moves to Oslo to attend university, and there meets Professor Jakob Krogstad. The two develop a profound camaraderie, talking puzzles and problems. But it is at the primal level, when in Jakob’s presence, that Rakel is left aroused and breathless. In a short time—even though Jakob is more than 20 years her senior and a husband and father—Rakel and Jakob become lovers. In conversation, Jakob compares Rakel to the 19th-century Russian mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya, a young genius who also had an affair with an older male mentor, and reveals he is planning to write a novel about Sofia’s life. Sofia becomes an object of Rakel’s curiosity, a constant presence in her thoughts, and she muses over a period of Sofia’s life when she seemed to renounce mathematics. At about the novel’s mid-point, with Rakel’s studies advancing and her accomplishments mounting, she is stricken by a baffling illness that saps her strength and renders her unable to work. At the same time, she wants Jakob to commit to their relationship, which he has promised to do when his daughters are old enough to accept his choice and live their lives without him. But this is not to be, and when Jakob chooses his wife Lea over her, Rakel is devastated. In the end, Rakel, now in her thirties and suffering debilitating symptoms, retreats from university life, returns to the small town of her youth and surrenders herself to the care of her parents. Hveberg’s novel, arresting, engaging, thought-provoking, is a cerebral exercise. And yet it is also a deeply touching inquiry into the nature of love and the spiritual connections that can arise between human beings. Permeated by melancholy and a sense of loss, Rakel’s story ebbs and flows like a body of water. Rakel, swept along by the current, subject to physical forces beyond her control, lives a life of the mind but is continually at the mercy of her heart, which yearns for the very things it cannot have. Impeccably translated from the Norwegian by Alison McCullough, this is beautiful writing that takes the reader on a surprising and unforgettable journey. Gripping and poignant, Lean Your Loneliness Slowly Against Mine engages the mind and the spirit like a great piece of music: harmonious, eloquent, haunting.… (mais)
 
Marcado
icolford | 1 outra resenha | Dec 22, 2022 |
Lean Your Loneliness Slowly Against Mine by Klara Hveberg and translated by Alison McCullough is the kind of novel that will sneak up on many readers then absolutely captivate them.

The character of Rakel is that rare one that is a very specific type yet almost everyone will find something, or many somethings, to relate to. I happened to be one of those who could relate and understand most of her feelings, thoughts, and coping mechanisms. But because so much of her musing, while specific to her way of thinking, is on topics and ideas that we all think about, most people will find common ground. And that common ground will lead the reader into becoming ever more invested in her story.

Yet the story is just part of the appeal of the book. As we read what Rakel thinks or how she prefers to see given situations we also begin to consider how we feel about these things. We may initially have a position on it but Rakel, or perhaps more accurately for this purpose Hveberg, offers such intriguing perspective and insight that we must, as active readers, reconsider what we brought to our reading. Does each instance change our opinion? No, but I do think each instance changes us and makes us more open to viewing things differently.

I would highly recommend this to readers who like a good story told lyrically while also engaging our more abstract mental processes to reconsider how we view life. Admittedly this won't appeal to those who prefer more action in their fiction, this is largely internal to the character.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
pomo58 | 1 outra resenha | Nov 20, 2021 |

Estatísticas

Obras
2
Membros
43
Popularidade
#352,016
Avaliação
3.9
Resenhas
2
ISBNs
9
Idiomas
2