This is worth a read. It’s short enough to transport you into another world, it’s considered enough for you to have critiques.

In a series of interconnecting vignettes you read as though you are putting back together a Russian doll. If you are not careful you’ll read past a detail or two, and soon you’d be two dolls deep realizing the design has changed completely.

Some reviewers have pointed out that the novel has a stream-of-consciousness style. Less have pointed out the incompleteness of the metaphors. I think the combination of these stylistic choices hinder the readers ability to see the narrative through. Of course these literary devices do not impair one novel over the other, but when structure, punctuation, and other experimentally crafted choices inhabit your narrative, it’s a choice in it of itself to fall flat on your metaphors or to choose stream of conscious over scene design.

This is the authors first novel. She is an accomplished artist in her own right. Screenwriter, award winning actress, to name a few on her accolade list. I revere the artist unafraid of exposing their creative finger prints.

Originally published in 2018, the translator who brought this work to the english language must be lauded for their efforts in bringing this to life.

Read She Who Remains to find out who remains, read it because it is a curious work with interesting artistic choices, read without expectation, read because international literature deserves the attention, read it because you might have your own critiques.

One thing is certain, the publisher — Sandorf Passage — should be on everyone’s radar.