I made a big mistake. I threw this book into my backpack while heading out for the weekend thinking if I had a few spare minutes I’d start it. I ended up finishing it. Volume I was called “An unparalleled cliffhanger” by Morgenbladet. The cliffhanger that closes volume II was even more intense! Unfortunately, the third volume was safe at home on my bookshelf.

I spoke about the curious premise of this septology in my comments on volume I. This sequel takes Tara’s exploration of her November eighteenths in a new direction, traveling to experience the seasons. If volume I was a phenomenology of time, volume II is a phenomenology of seasonality. And then the cliffhanger.

What struck me most about this work was Balle Solvej’s buttery prose (by way of Barbara Haveland, translator). This book is effortless to read. The pages fly by.

If you haven’t started this series yet, just do it. But beware: make sure you always have the next volume in your hands. You’ll need it sooner than you think.

Balle, Solvej. On the Calculation of Volume II. 2020. Translated by Barbara Haveland. New Directions Paperbook, 2024.