Am I really going to write a preview of every volume of On the Calculation of Volume, by Solvej Balle, which has a total seven volumes? That seems like overkill, does it not? However, if the remaining five books prove to be as intriguing as the first two, maybe I will.
In my preview of On the Calculation of Volume I, I explained that this is a time loop novel, a literary-speculative fiction crossover. The protagonist, Tara Selter, sells used and antique books along with her husband—or at least she did, until November 18 started repeating itself over and over.
I won’t spoil On the Calculation of Volume II by telling you what happens or how the cliffhanger from book I turns out. I will tell you that there’s another cliffhanger at the end of book II, which is a real delight. And now I’ll share a few more things, while mentioning as little plot details as possible. Spoilers = Bad.
The Very Europeanness of This Novel
The main thing I’d like to comment on is the very Europeanness of this novel. Tara does not rush around acting wild and edgy like the American protagonist of the movie Groundhog Day. She’s thoughtful, cultured, and patient. She waits, and she watches. When she wants to go someplace, she walks, bikes, or takes a train. She’s curious, but never in such a way as to lose her head. She doesn’t force things; she knows how to understand subtilties and how to be subtle herself.
How Balle manages to center her story on this sort of quiet protagonist without boring her reader (me!) out of her mind is beyond me. But she manages it so skillfully that I don’t even notice how fascinated I am by Tara’s strange meanderings through the reoccurring 18th of November.
Here’s an example paragraph that demonstrates Balle’s skill in writing about the mundane with quiet intensity:
“My mother was in the garden when I arrived. She had taken most of the day off because the pupils at the international school where she teaches had been on a trip. She had only been at work for a couple of hours and when she got back she had gone straight out into the garden. Now she came walking toward me carrying a bowl for the yellow quinces.”
Okay, pupils and quinces. Very European. But also, the quietude of all this. Isn’t this nice?
A Comparison of Book Covers
Take a look, if you don’t mind clicking some links, at the different book covers for different audiences of this series of novels, always a fascinating comparison:
- The American covers look scientific, like heat maps, emphasizing the sci-fi aspect of the books.
- The U.K. covers have a vintage quality, emphasizing Tara’s inability to leave the past. They are also more pictorial than the American covers, showing some of the objects and scenes that fascinate Tara.
- The Danish covers are extremely minimalist, emphasizing the spare writing style of the novel.
- The Spanish covers take the title quite literally and show geometric 3D shapes.
Which of these do you find most appealing? If you have read the books, which of these best represents what’s in the novels?
Coming to a Bookstore and Library Near You
The English translation of book III is being released on November 18 of this year—aha! The date is fitting. The English translation of book IV is being released on April 14, 2026.
I believe all but the last book have been published in Danish, and this last should come out soon. We English speakers will have to wait for the translations.
If we’ve started reading Tara Salter’s story (Solvej Balle’s story), we have a good model for how to be patient and wait.
Can you wait?
Featured in this post: On the Calculation of Volume, Book II by Solvej Balle Buy it now
Also mentioned: On the Calculation of Volume, Book I by Solvej Balle Buy it now
Also mentioned: On the Calculation of Volume, Book III by Solvej Balle Pre-order it now
Also mentioned: On the Calculation of Volume, Book IV by Solvej Balle Pre-order it now
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