On the Calculation of Volume I cover art

On the Calculation of Volume I

On the Calculation of Volume, Book 1

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On the Calculation of Volume I

By: Solvej Balle, Barbara J. Haveland - translator
Narrated by: Elizabeth Liang
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About this listen

It seems so odd to me now, how one can be so unsettled by the improbable. When we know that our entire existence is founded on freak occurrences and improbable coincidences. That we wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for these curious twists of fate.

Tara Selter has slipped out of time.

Every morning, she wakes up to the 18th of November. She no longer expects to wake up to the 19th of November, and she no longer remembers the 17th of November as if it were yesterday.

She comes to know the shape of the day like the back of her hand—the grey morning light in her Paris hotel; the moment a blackbird breaks into song; her husband's surprise at seeing her return home unannounced. But for everyone around her, this day is lived for the first and only time. They do not remember the other 18ths of November, and they do not believe her when she tries to explain.

As Tara approaches her 365th 18th of November, she can't shake the feeling that somewhere underneath the surface of this day, there's a way to escape.

©2025 Solvej Balle (P)2025 Faber & Faber Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological
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Loved the nuancing of the characters dilemma being stuck in a form of Groundhog Day.. and what to do with oneself

Time out of Joint but not the story.

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Narrator was excellent. This is Groundhog day but set in the world of french antiquarian books in a Danish literary novel. Hard recommend

The most intriguing and interesting of books

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The story never went anywhere, it moved slowly, like it was waiting for a citation to catch up

No resolve

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I’m not sure what it says about me that I enjoyed this book and its sequel more than anything I’ve listened to in years. I find it comforting to be with in a companionable way. I’m not generally a fan of American narrators but this one was unobtrusive and the repetitive nature of the protagonist’s experience meant that one could drift away when inevitably drawn into thoughts about the realities of living this way, without losing the thread of the story. I could honestly listen to endless volumes of this story quite happily.

Good company

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I enjoyed the book and started to get really interested as it went on but disappointed in the ending... que?

It was a sad tale about the loneliness of being trapped in a world where the same day keeps repeating and whatever happens doesn't really matter. Our protagonist decides to stop tormenting her husband by explaining to him every day what is happening and decides to move out. She is hopeful of finding a way back into the progress of time.

Interesting But Didn't Go Anywhere

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There was a bit of fuss made of this book and I can see that it has a definite and unique style. However in the end it remains cold and descriptive on a level of the fine grains of story elements. It’s like being stuck in a frustrating dream and this I guess is what the author is going for but for me there was just not a sense of discovery it remains tedious and dull

Too much hype

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