The first book in Solvej Balle’s brilliant (and forthcoming in English) septology On the Calculation of Volume is, in a word, stunning. Following the day-to-day minutia of a woman continually reliving the 18th of November, Balle finds the beauty and torment in repetition and recursion and revision. In all honesty, nothing actually happens in this book. But that doesn’t matter. Balle’s writing turns the reader into a balloon hitting a powerline—bright, weightless, fluorescent until the shock comes. An absolutely stunning piece of fiction.
On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle, (List Price: $15.95, New Directions, 9780811237253, November 2024)
Reviewed by Charlie Marks, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia