Publication
Amsterdam De Bezige Bij 2023
ISBN
9789403115023
Language
Collection
Description
"A woman lies bedridden from a high fever. Suddenly she is struck with an urge to revisit a novel from her past. Inside the book is an inscription: a get-well-soon message from Johanna, an ex-girlfriend who is now a famous television host. As she flips through the book, pages from the woman's own past begin to come alive, scenes of events and people she cannot forget. There are moments with Johanna, and Niki, the friend who disappeared years ago without a phone number or an address and with no online footprint. There is Alejandro, who appears like a storm in precisely the right moment. And Brigitte, whose elusive qualities mask a painful secret. The Details is a novel built around four portraits; the small details that, pieced together, comprise a life. Can a loved one really disappear? Who is the real subject of the portrait, the person being painted or the one holding the brush? Do we fully become ourselves through our connections to others? This exhilarating, provocative tale raises profound questions about the nature of relationships, and how we tell our stories. The result is an intimate and illuminating study of what it means to be human"--… (more)
Genres
User reviews
LibraryThing member Piggelin
Lovely book both with regards to the story and the language. A book with few pages but nevertheless a page turner.
LibraryThing member richardderus
058 [The Details] by [[Ia Genberg]] (tr. [[Kira Josefsson]])
Rating: 4* of five, rounded up from three-an-a-half for the pleasure of its company
The Publisher Says: An acclaimed Swedish author makes her English language debut with this intoxicating novel in the vein of Rachel Cusk and Sheila Heti,
A woman lies bedridden from a high fever. Suddenly she is struck with an urge to revisit a novel from her past. Inside the book is an inscription: a get-well-soon message from Johanna, an ex-girlfriend who is now a famous television host. As she flips through the book, pages from the woman's own past begin to come alive, scenes of events and people she cannot forget.
There are moments with Johanna, and Niki, the friend who disappeared years ago without a phone number or an address and with no online footprint. There is Alejandro, who gleefully campaigns for a baby even though he knows their love has no future. And Brigitte, whose elusive qualities mask a painful secret.
The Details is a novel built around four portraits; the small details that, pieced together, comprise a life. Can a loved one really disappear? Who is the real subject of the portrait, the person being painted or the one holding the brush? Do we fully become ourselves through our connections to others? This exhilarating, provocative tale raises profound questions about the nature of relationships, and how we tell our stories. The result is an intimate and illuminating study of what it means to be human.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Ecru silk damask, if it were a novel.
Fine sentences, trenchant observations, but all a bit samey. The nature of Love is, I guess, pretty much to be variations on a theme for most all of us. Like the damask I opened with, it's details that change not the shape of the central concerns of the lover. Her apparent life-long bisexuality simply is, from beginning to end; there's zero mention of coming out, except a tiny nod at the very end when her father's calm reaction to it in the past gets a sentence fragment. Nor is there a single soul whose response to her bisxeuality is...well, to be honest, even present.
This being the way I think things should be, I got no kick with that.
What doesn't excite me then? I have the sneaking suspicion that there's not more than meets the eye here, that the meanings are all present and accounted for, that one's meant to be exactly where we're left. I'm perfectly ready to stipulate that this could be my failure to dig deeper. Honestly the prose and the story don't invite me to do so...Nor do I, a lifelong US citizen, feel I'm led to see and feel the map coordinates throughout the text. Because I'm not Swedish nor am I familiar with them, the towns and neighborhoods of Stockholm that are named gave me no extra information, no deepened shadows or illuminated spots from their mentions.
The events of her life of love coming to her as fragments in a malarial fever gets little enough play that I never had a chance to develop a response to it. It's merely a framing device and no more. I found that to be a good thing because it didn't require a lot to use it effectively. Mentions here and there. No more than might occur in a letter one sends to a friend recalling shared moments from the past.
If your present mood calls for something meditative, something thoughtful without being stressful, here's a short, pleasant trip to Sweden with an honest hearted companion. Let her tell you some of her secrets. Your day might be enriched even more than mine was by my bisexual sibling. One small tic in the corner of my eye was caused by Alejandro,in the blurb above, campaigning for the narrator to have a baby with him. It is Kristian, whom Alejandro displaced in the narrtor's love, that wanted to have babies with the narrator. *tsk* on the copywriter!
Rating: 4* of five, rounded up from three-an-a-half for the pleasure of its company
The Publisher Says: An acclaimed Swedish author makes her English language debut with this intoxicating novel in the vein of Rachel Cusk and Sheila Heti,
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about a woman in the throes of a fever remembering the important people in her past, her memories laid bare in vivid detail as her body temperature rises.A woman lies bedridden from a high fever. Suddenly she is struck with an urge to revisit a novel from her past. Inside the book is an inscription: a get-well-soon message from Johanna, an ex-girlfriend who is now a famous television host. As she flips through the book, pages from the woman's own past begin to come alive, scenes of events and people she cannot forget.
There are moments with Johanna, and Niki, the friend who disappeared years ago without a phone number or an address and with no online footprint. There is Alejandro, who gleefully campaigns for a baby even though he knows their love has no future. And Brigitte, whose elusive qualities mask a painful secret.
The Details is a novel built around four portraits; the small details that, pieced together, comprise a life. Can a loved one really disappear? Who is the real subject of the portrait, the person being painted or the one holding the brush? Do we fully become ourselves through our connections to others? This exhilarating, provocative tale raises profound questions about the nature of relationships, and how we tell our stories. The result is an intimate and illuminating study of what it means to be human.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Ecru silk damask, if it were a novel.
Fine sentences, trenchant observations, but all a bit samey. The nature of Love is, I guess, pretty much to be variations on a theme for most all of us. Like the damask I opened with, it's details that change not the shape of the central concerns of the lover. Her apparent life-long bisexuality simply is, from beginning to end; there's zero mention of coming out, except a tiny nod at the very end when her father's calm reaction to it in the past gets a sentence fragment. Nor is there a single soul whose response to her bisxeuality is...well, to be honest, even present.
This being the way I think things should be, I got no kick with that.
What doesn't excite me then? I have the sneaking suspicion that there's not more than meets the eye here, that the meanings are all present and accounted for, that one's meant to be exactly where we're left. I'm perfectly ready to stipulate that this could be my failure to dig deeper. Honestly the prose and the story don't invite me to do so...Nor do I, a lifelong US citizen, feel I'm led to see and feel the map coordinates throughout the text. Because I'm not Swedish nor am I familiar with them, the towns and neighborhoods of Stockholm that are named gave me no extra information, no deepened shadows or illuminated spots from their mentions.
The events of her life of love coming to her as fragments in a malarial fever gets little enough play that I never had a chance to develop a response to it. It's merely a framing device and no more. I found that to be a good thing because it didn't require a lot to use it effectively. Mentions here and there. No more than might occur in a letter one sends to a friend recalling shared moments from the past.
If your present mood calls for something meditative, something thoughtful without being stressful, here's a short, pleasant trip to Sweden with an honest hearted companion. Let her tell you some of her secrets. Your day might be enriched even more than mine was by my bisexual sibling. One small tic in the corner of my eye was caused by Alejandro,in the blurb above, campaigning for the narrator to have a baby with him. It is Kristian, whom Alejandro displaced in the narrtor's love, that wanted to have babies with the narrator. *tsk* on the copywriter!
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LibraryThing member CarltonC
Gentle, thoughtful and reflective.
As you would expect from the title, the narrator's descriptions of four individuals who have been an impact on the narrator's life slowly unspool themselves.
Perhaps I wasn't paying sufficient attention, as although this book was well written/translated, the book
Moody and atmospheric though, and it slowed me down.
As you would expect from the title, the narrator's descriptions of four individuals who have been an impact on the narrator's life slowly unspool themselves.
Perhaps I wasn't paying sufficient attention, as although this book was well written/translated, the book
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was too emotionally distant, too detached and too tangential. There are paragraphs that suddenly spell out, perhaps, the author's thoughts or concerns, but they didn't feel organic, but inserted.Moody and atmospheric though, and it slowed me down.
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LibraryThing member sophroniaborgia
The Details is very much a thoughtful, ruminative book about a woman coming to terms with her past. There are no hugely dramatic reveals or scenes; instead the unnamed narrator focuses on describing four characters who played pivotal roles in her life. This allows her to build both a portrait of
I was not surprised to find out that Ia Genberg was born around the same time I was, based on the many Gen X touchstones mentioned by the narrator. So many people my age could recount similar memories of the rock-band boyfriend, the punkish best friend rebelling against a middle-class background, the parent distracted by her own past experiences, the frenzy over the arrival of the year 2000. The book is aptly titled. Genberg excels at providing small details that add up to a vivid characterization, so when the reader arrives at the revelation of the effect on the narrator, it feels natural and earned. Genberg's writing is gently lovely, a quiet surface that both hides and reveals deep emotions underneath. I especially appreciated her use of literary references, even though some of the authors she referenced don't seem to be available in English translation, unfortunately. I wish I could read them! I will definitely look for more work by Ia Genberg.
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the person as she saw them and to assess them at a remove years later.I was not surprised to find out that Ia Genberg was born around the same time I was, based on the many Gen X touchstones mentioned by the narrator. So many people my age could recount similar memories of the rock-band boyfriend, the punkish best friend rebelling against a middle-class background, the parent distracted by her own past experiences, the frenzy over the arrival of the year 2000. The book is aptly titled. Genberg excels at providing small details that add up to a vivid characterization, so when the reader arrives at the revelation of the effect on the narrator, it feels natural and earned. Genberg's writing is gently lovely, a quiet surface that both hides and reveals deep emotions underneath. I especially appreciated her use of literary references, even though some of the authors she referenced don't seem to be available in English translation, unfortunately. I wish I could read them! I will definitely look for more work by Ia Genberg.
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LibraryThing member kidzdoc
The unnamed narrator of this novel is a middle aged woman who is experiencing an illness with high fevers and fatigue, which confines her to bed for several days. In the midst of her illness she recalls and revisits Paul Auster's [The New York Trilogy], which was given to her by Johanna, a lover
I found "The Details" to be a lovely novel to read, but its ethereal nature and structure means that it neither it nor its characters will stay with me long, and I would be very surprised if it wins the International Booker Prize.
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from her past who has found fame as a well known radio broadcaster. The book consists of four characters who have been integral to the life of the narrator: Niki, her roommate in college, who the narrator attempted to befriend while being repeatedly ignored and pushed away; Alejandro, a lover who was a member of a local rock band; and Birgitte, her mother, who had to overcome her own demons after the birth of her children. Each character is somewhat inscrutable in her or his own way, although the narrator’s life was greatly impacted by each of them.I found "The Details" to be a lovely novel to read, but its ethereal nature and structure means that it neither it nor its characters will stay with me long, and I would be very surprised if it wins the International Booker Prize.
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LibraryThing member Dreesie
A woman is remembering people and events from her past. Each chapter is about a specific individual and how the narrator relates to them. Other chapter leads may appear as minor characters in other chapters.
This was interesting, but I felt it could have been great. I found the chapters became more
This was interesting, but I felt it could have been great. I found the chapters became more
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interesting as the book went on--the later chapters (especially the last) illuminated more about the earlier chapters and why the narrator behaved as she had. Show Less
LibraryThing member ozzer
Everyone has people, places and things that can evoke persistent memories. Various things can be triggers. In the case of Genberg’s unnamed narrator, the triggers are fever and a novel by the recently deceased Paul Auster. While perusing this novel, she begins to meditate on four relationships in
There is little in the way of earth-shaking suspense or plot here. Instead, the four portraits focus on minutia. In effect, Genberg provides the details, as her title suggests. These characters are not simple and their connections to the narrator carry considerable pain. Yet, each character also conjures levels of complexity that reveal their humanity. Clearly, they are the kind of people one tends not to forget.
Johanna was a generous and encouraging colleague in journalism. Nonetheless, she also could be cold and judgmental. Success was paramount for her. Her striving culminated in a career as a famous TV hostess. (Life) “was lived in one direction—forward.” The protagonist observes. “It’s how we differed from one another: I rarely completed anything big.” In the end, the narrator clearly felt betrayed by Johanna.
Niki was the narrator’s soulmate in her youth. She had the endearing quality of being passionate about books. She especially liked owning them. However, one senses that she was not particularly intellectual. Instead, she evinced traits that would characterize her as childish and self-involved—a less-than-ideal roommate. Niki was estranged from her wealthy parents, lacked a need for order or cleanliness, and could be moody or unpredictable. One might predict that this relationship could not end well. In fact, Niki just disappeared one day without a farewell or any forwarding contact information. A sense of abandonment pervades this memory.
Alejandro was a charismatic dancer, with whom the narrator had a brief but intense romantic relationship. He fathered her first child. He felt that the Swedish lifestyle was too confining and comfortable. He left seeking greater challenges. Though transitory, this connection was the most satisfying of the four for the narrator. She measures all of the other relationships against this one.
Her mother, Birgitte, was the narrator’s most painful memory because it is filled with regret. A childhood trauma left her mother adrift and clinging to rituals. She could be outspoken around others, but barely talked to her daughter. Understandably, this history left the narrator incapable of building trust in her own relationships.
Though brief, THE DETAILS provides important insights into what constitutes rewarding relationships. Notably, these are not always without suffering. Indeed, painful memories may be the most enduring.
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her life. Using this structure, Genberg writes a novel that not only provides four intriguing portraits, but also evokes the kind of random, non-linear internal narrative that meditators often experience. “That’s all there is to the self, or the so-called ‘self’:” she muses in a decidedly Buddhist sentiment, “traces of the people we rub against.”There is little in the way of earth-shaking suspense or plot here. Instead, the four portraits focus on minutia. In effect, Genberg provides the details, as her title suggests. These characters are not simple and their connections to the narrator carry considerable pain. Yet, each character also conjures levels of complexity that reveal their humanity. Clearly, they are the kind of people one tends not to forget.
Johanna was a generous and encouraging colleague in journalism. Nonetheless, she also could be cold and judgmental. Success was paramount for her. Her striving culminated in a career as a famous TV hostess. (Life) “was lived in one direction—forward.” The protagonist observes. “It’s how we differed from one another: I rarely completed anything big.” In the end, the narrator clearly felt betrayed by Johanna.
Niki was the narrator’s soulmate in her youth. She had the endearing quality of being passionate about books. She especially liked owning them. However, one senses that she was not particularly intellectual. Instead, she evinced traits that would characterize her as childish and self-involved—a less-than-ideal roommate. Niki was estranged from her wealthy parents, lacked a need for order or cleanliness, and could be moody or unpredictable. One might predict that this relationship could not end well. In fact, Niki just disappeared one day without a farewell or any forwarding contact information. A sense of abandonment pervades this memory.
Alejandro was a charismatic dancer, with whom the narrator had a brief but intense romantic relationship. He fathered her first child. He felt that the Swedish lifestyle was too confining and comfortable. He left seeking greater challenges. Though transitory, this connection was the most satisfying of the four for the narrator. She measures all of the other relationships against this one.
Her mother, Birgitte, was the narrator’s most painful memory because it is filled with regret. A childhood trauma left her mother adrift and clinging to rituals. She could be outspoken around others, but barely talked to her daughter. Understandably, this history left the narrator incapable of building trust in her own relationships.
Though brief, THE DETAILS provides important insights into what constitutes rewarding relationships. Notably, these are not always without suffering. Indeed, painful memories may be the most enduring.
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Awards
The International Booker Prize (Shortlist — 2024)
Augustpriset (Nominee — 2022)