Sunday 28 October 2012

Doppler

Finished October 26
Doppler by Erlend Loe, translated by Don Bartlett and Don Shaw

This short novel has been a bestseller in Scandinavia, and I quite enjoyed it. Doppler is a man who has had a sudden realization that he doesn't like people, and has gone to live in the woods. While he doesn't take money with him, he isn't above bartering for things he wants, or stealing them from other people. Doppler sometimes seems completely out of touch with the world, and other times seeing the world very clearly. The cover calls the book "an enchanting modern fable about one man and his moose". And the moose enters the tale very early, becoming Doppler's companion, confidant,and tentmate. As Doppler relates to his wife, children, and the men he encounters, we see both the interactions between them and Doppler's thoughts. I see him as kind of an everyman for the modern time.

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