On the Calculation of Volume I - Solvej Balle
I really liked this one. It just felt a bit short, I had hoped for some conclusion, something, anything. Guess I need to read the second book.
I liked the relationship between Tara and Thomas. And in my opinion, what Tara felt for Thomas was real love. She did not want him to be disturbed, she did not want to change his quietly content day. But at the same time, he was home for her. She went to him directly, on the first day, spoke to him, was honest with him. She wanted to see him, to hear him, but still take care of him, not disturb him. And he believed her, he wanted to help. I think that is a beautiful portrayal of how love can be. Not all great gestures and drama, but wanting to share a life. And it made me so sad to read about Tara realizing that this will not be possible when she changes and he does not.
I know sayings like "Hopefully nothing ever changes in our relationship", and I had to think about that while reading. And I think it is impossible not to change, but that for love to work out, people will change, but alongside one another.
And I liked the thoughts Tara had about her contribution to the world. That she just takes and takes, and never gives back. But she has no other choice. I get that she feels bad for that, like an intruder, a monster. But at the same time, what else is she supposed to do?, she wants to live, she wants time to pass normally again, so she has to eat.
I also thought about other media that portrays this kind of time loop. Groundhog day ofc, and there is a Supernatural episode where Dean is in that loop and Sam not. In both of those stories, the characters go wild and do crime at some point, they just dont care, since everything will be back to normal the next day. I liked that Tara didnt do that. That she was more quiet, and wanted time with her partner, and wanted back a content, quiet life.
I still hope she gets a bit more agency in the following books. That she tries to figure out what happened, what are the mechanics behind the time loop?
as much as I liked the very introspective thoughts of this book, I personally dont know if that would hold up over 7 books. So I think I would hope for her to go explore, to try out things. And, like I said, I liked that in this book, she was more introspective and at home a lot. But just for books in the future, I hope she will do something more. Try out more, test the boundaries, find out what changes and what doesnt, etc.
