My Struggle

July 1, 2015

Knausgard became a phenomenon in Norway with the publication of his six-volume autobiographical novel. In this first volume, he writes about his childhood and teenage years, his infatuation with rock music, his relationship with his parents, and his bewilderment and grief upon his father's death. When Karl Ove becomes a father himself, he must balance the demands of caring for a young family with his desire to write. The author wants to pen a great literary work and it's hard to tell if this is it or not. It is an interesting, direct, sometimes funny, sometimes off-putting look at Karl Ove from preadolescence through the death of his alcoholic father. The work is given an excellent reading by Edoardo Ballerini. Listeners looking to go deeper may need to refer to the print version for the spellings of Scandinavian art and literary names. VERDICT This audio is highly recommended for adult fiction collections.--Cliff Glaviano, formerly with Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH

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