What a poignant, heartbreaking, and yet fascinating perception. I enjoyed and reveled in every word. Beautiful prose depicting the story of a life...

Unfortunately not for me. In a world with SO many books being published, I just don't see this as a must in our collection.

Aliss at the Fire is the latest book from Jon Fosse, a Norwegian, who recently won the Nobel Prize for literature.
I listened to this audiobook narrated by Kåre Conradi. Both the translation and the narration are beautiful. Fosse writes poetic prose.
And Conradi, with his deep melodic voice, reads the prose as if it were a poem.

Like his other book Morning and Evening, the small book goes back and forth in time. Signe is remembering the day her husband went out on a boat and never returned. What follows can best be described as a meditation or a long prayer of love, of marriage, of loss, of family.
I highly recommend this book.

this was the second jon fosse novella i read this month and just like “morning and evening”, it’s characterised by its highly repetitive, fragmented and elliptical writing. i found aliss at the fire a little more difficult to get into, but i honestly think this could just be because i got a bit distracted listening to the audiobook at times - while the many repetitions are a very effective stylistic device, they do make it a little harder to focus while listening. nonetheless, i thought it was quite a fascinating story and liked how the writing reflected the themes of memory, grief and connections across generations.

The elderly mind's failing intellectual powers often lead it to wander obsessively, leaving narratives without satisfying conclusions, a sentiment echoed by the narrator who, like Fosse, grapples with septuagenarian concerns. Memories fluctuate spasmodically when absolutes are lost in stories, creating a sense of entrapment akin to Fosse's narratives where details loom large. Personally drawn to Fosse's work, I find it a reflection of my struggle to articulate existential uncertainties. Fosse, too, seeks guidance amidst uncertainty, a theme resonating deeply in 2024, hailed by the Nobel committee. Have you ever felt that metaphysical void? Memories multiply, folding inwardly like Aliss, reflecting Fosse's exploration of inner demons that haunt us all, manifesting in rage, sensuality, or existential confusion—the three poisons of the Buddha. Amidst such introspection, a science writer posits our minds are composed of many selves, a notion reflected in Fosse's narratives that challenge conventional narratives. His work, akin to Joyce or Proust, confronts us with our own reflections in a hall of mirrors where answers are elusive but introspection profound. Fosse's prose demands immersion, offering both disquiet and brilliance, evoking varied reactions yet undeniably contributing to modern literature's complex tapestry.

The narrator is excellent and very well-chosen for Fosse's style. However, the story itself didn't captivate me as it did in 'Morning and Evening'. You (or at least I) have to be in a certain mood to appreciate Jon Fosse and perhaps that is why this didn't work for me.

Yeah I'm not sure what I was supposed to get out of this book, it felt like a fever dream most of the time

📚 2024 #46: “Aliss at the Fire” by Jon Fosse

📕 This book is the story of Signe, her husband Asle who disappeared 20 years ago, and their ancestors from generations ago. Signe finds herself sitting at home having visions of Asle on the night of his disappearance and expanding out to include memories beyond. This story touches on love, grief, and the human experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5: This book feels like a fever dream and uses tons of repetition to tell the intertwined tales. I couldn't get over the "Signe says" and "Asle says" at the end of nearly every line in the first section. I think this set me off on the wrong foot for the incessant repetition throughout the rest of the story. Definitely one of those stories where nothing seems to happen and a lot happens at the same time. It wasn't really my cup of tea though and felt like something one of my high school English teachers would have loved to have us analyze for class.

🤓 You should read this if you enjoy surrealist stories like "Fever Dream" by Samantha Schweblin or "The Vegetarian" by Han Kang.

🥰 Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

“Aliss at the Fire” – Jon Fosse (translated from Norwegian by Damion Searls, narrated by Kare Conradi)

“...because if there was one thing he didn't like it was big words, they just lied and covered things up, those big words, they didn't let what really was live and breathe but just carried it off into something that wanted to be big, that's what he thought...”

My thanks to @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for my copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Definitely getting the taste for Jon Fosse audiobooks.

After having a wonderful experience walking in Andorra listening to “Morning and Evening”, I was quick to snap up the opportunity to listen to this one as well. “Aliss at the Fire” is very similar in literary style, with the same basic yet poetic language along with repetition and almost spiraling dialogue. It deals with similar themes of love, memory and family, with a melancholy tone. We again spend time with an elderly protagonist, this time the widow Signe, though unlike “Morning and Evening” this book jumps into the past, to the day when her husband Asle rowed out into the water and never came back.

Eventually Signe relives the same memory over and over again, until she faces the ghosts of 100 years of her family, which also has some overlap with the previous Fosse book I read. It’s, again, a book that manages to carry great emotional heft with very little actually happening, which is clearly an achievement that should be acknowledged. However, this book didn’t enchant me like the others.

Maybe it was expectations, maybe it was the lack of incredible Andorran scenery, but I didn’t take to this as much as my previous Fosse book (though the narration by Kare Conradi continues to be sublime.) This feels like further proof that the adage of “right book, right time” still applies to me, and I suppose I’ll have to give this one another chance at some point, but something was just off. Still give it a chance, however, if you haven’t read Fosse yet.

Wow. This was an audio book that was spellbinding. Nuanced, deep, thought-provoking.....I can honestly say I have never read anything like it. Published originally 14 years ago, Netgalley was offering this one as an audio arc, and I'm up for anything when it comes to books. I had no idea how brief the story (a little over 2 hours), and, honestly, it could have gone on. I was inside it, it was inside my head, and now I want to find other material written by author Jon Fosse.

I enjoyed this audiobook, as Fosse's writing never disappoints. He packed a lot of story in just a few hours!

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Kåre Conradi
Content: 4.5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

Jon Fosse is the winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Signe lies on a bench in front of her house by the fjord. The house she once shared with Asle. In fact, it is an old house that once belonged to her husband’s family. She remembers her life with Asle and the night he disappeared at the sea. This was over 20 years ago. Fosse successfully weaves together stories of more family members from different periods. We learn about Signe’s marriage to Asle and the stories of Asle’s ancestors. It feels like the house is telling its own story.

Jon Fosse deservedly won the Nobel Prize last year. I love his repetitive style (especially on audio). With so few words and repetitions, he tells so much more on some other level.

This was my second audiobook by Jon Fosse, narrated by Kåre Conradi, and I loved it again. If you want to experience Fosse's work but are concerned about the repetitive style, try it in audiobook format. The narrator is really perfect for reading this author.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the advance copy and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

This is my second foray into Fosse's writing (I've read the first part of the Septology), and both works left me with a haunted feeling unlike anything I've felt from other writers. Would I say that I "enjoy" reading his works? Maybe not, but they seem important to finish once I've started...and I readily DNF books all the time, so it's not some misplaced guilt that urges me on. Instead, I seem to believe I will understand something crucial about myself after finishing. Do I? Maybe not, but the older I get, reviewing my life from the outside resonates with me, and including the stories of my ancestors in mine does not feel foreign.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this free audiobook for review. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Aliss at the Fire by Jon Fosse is an exquisitely written, haunting, emotional, and profoundly moving Norwegian short read translated by Damion Searles, that won the Nobel prize for literature in 2023. I listened to this on audio, approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, that is beautifully, vibrantly, and lyrically narrated by narrated by Kåre Conradi in a way that deeply resonates and burrowed into my psyche and reflecting on the specifics of my personal life and circumstances. Signe remembers and sees herself waiting for the return of her husband, Asle, after her rowed out on the waters, but he is never to return. Grief, loss, nature, the disturbing, bonds of marriage, family connections, ghosts and struggles over many generations are portrayed and prevail as if in one time space. Highly recommend this superb book, and particularly the audio. Many thanks to Dreamscape Media for an ALC.

My second book from Jon Fosse, narrated by the same voice actor Kåre Conradi. His contribution to my enjoyment cannot be denied. I loved his performance once again.
Reading (or in this case, listening to) Fosse feels like having a conversation with yourself. Repeating your thoughts, doubts, fears to yourself over and over again, times and places are blending together, and while it seems that nothing is happening, there's a lot going on in half-sentences and clipped words.

Aliss at the Fire is truly incredible and the novel is a well-deserved recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature 2023.

I have been learning Norwegian and as such, Scandinavian literature is helpful in the learning process (although I did read the English translation) The rhythm of the audiobook is lyrical, it matches the lilt of Norwegian diction and translation, especially when Signe is reminiscing about conversations with her lost husband Asle.

Signe is laying on a bench and watching out over the Fjord and thinking about life, her past, her husband. Asle went out on his beloved boat to row on the Fjord one day, and never returned, lost to the icy water. In her grief, Signe recounts her own memories, the shared memories from her beloved husband, many generations past, as fas back as his Great-Great-Grandmother Aliss

I was rapt, it is a meditation of love, loss, grief and joy, all recounted beautifully in the narration of Kåre Conradi

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, the author Jon Fosse and narrator Kåre Conradi for this incredible audiobook. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own