What an interesting post! I started reading On the Calculation of Volume because I'm always enamored by stories that mess with time, but I wasn't expecting to get invested in the series as a whole (I'm not usually a series fan). Hearing about the length of Balle's process and that she had the idea before Groundhog's Day adds a whole new dimension to the work. I can't wait for Volume 3!
P.S. Like several other commenters, I was also reminded of Elizabeth Gilbert's idea that ideas choose the writer instead of the other way around. I totally believe it.
whoa....this is gorgeous. i love the bookshop description "The first volume's gravitational pull--a force inverse to its constriction--has the effect of a strong tranquilizer, but a drug under which your powers of observation only grow sharper and more acute." and "its slant wit"
slant wit !! really feels like it goes along w the book series tugging at Balle's sleeve for so many years
Elizabeth Gilbert talks about this idea of ideas ‘choosing’ you and persisting in their attempts to be noticed in her book ‘Big Magic’. She says that if you ignore them long enough, they will move on to someone else. Maybe if Balle really wanted to rid herself of this idea, she just needed to wait longer! 😂
I enjoyed this piece, having also enjoyed the first two volumes of Balle's series over the summer (and hungry for the rest to appear). I hadn't read any interviews with her, so it's good to be linked to those. And those related ideas of initially ignoring a project/book because it seems too obvious, then having it return over and over, then learning to wait for it to tell you what it wants to be: I recognise those so much. They describe a project I'm now some eight years into.
Another big fan of the time loop premise here, and I enjoyed book one of Calculation of Volume. My contribution to the subgenre involves a world where
1. The loop is already old news by the time the story starts
2. The loop is experienced by an entire city
Skipping the protagonist's slow acclimation to the loop and its first-order implications, which most readers will already be familiar with in post-Groundhog Day 2026, kept the writing more interesting for me and allowed me to go deeper into what the premise can show us about the human condition. The absurd surreality of a culture and way of life that takes the time loop for granted has been a blast to explore!
My wish is that all writers could share this sense of inevitability: "As a reader, you know, of course, that the novelist made all this up, that what’s on the page is the product of hundreds and hundreds of individual decisions—but it feels as if it couldn’t have been any other way."
Ah! OK, that is a bit of a bummer — I will keep the different US/UK release dates in mind for future book club picks. Hopefully you can still read along with us, just starting a little later.
Sorry, that was sent too quickly…. Wanted to say that Balle’s (vol 1&2) are mind-blowing. I preordered the next two and cannot wait to continue. Absolutely worth it! And although 6am for Worm Zoom proved too early for me, I am contemplating book club now :) Great idea!
Oooo book clubbing with you! Can’t wait!
Yes! So glad you can join us, Sabrina 🤓🙌
Wow! That last paragraph made me sit up/get up. Thank you.
What an interesting post! I started reading On the Calculation of Volume because I'm always enamored by stories that mess with time, but I wasn't expecting to get invested in the series as a whole (I'm not usually a series fan). Hearing about the length of Balle's process and that she had the idea before Groundhog's Day adds a whole new dimension to the work. I can't wait for Volume 3!
P.S. Like several other commenters, I was also reminded of Elizabeth Gilbert's idea that ideas choose the writer instead of the other way around. I totally believe it.
I feel so much better. My debut is coming up on 18 years of gestation. It's gonna be nicely broiled when it's done :) ...
whoa....this is gorgeous. i love the bookshop description "The first volume's gravitational pull--a force inverse to its constriction--has the effect of a strong tranquilizer, but a drug under which your powers of observation only grow sharper and more acute." and "its slant wit"
slant wit !! really feels like it goes along w the book series tugging at Balle's sleeve for so many years
and congrats on finishing your book!
Thank you, Kendall! And, yes, "slant wit" is such a good (and accurate) description!!
Elizabeth Gilbert talks about this idea of ideas ‘choosing’ you and persisting in their attempts to be noticed in her book ‘Big Magic’. She says that if you ignore them long enough, they will move on to someone else. Maybe if Balle really wanted to rid herself of this idea, she just needed to wait longer! 😂
You're the second person to mention Elizabeth Gilbert in this context! I need to read more about what she says — thanks for the nudge.
Fantastic, as always.
Thanks, Kara! ☺️🙏
Do you think it’s important to read Hold Still first before reading Art Work?
I don't think it's necessary, no! Hope you'll be able to join us in October 🤓
I enjoyed this piece, having also enjoyed the first two volumes of Balle's series over the summer (and hungry for the rest to appear). I hadn't read any interviews with her, so it's good to be linked to those. And those related ideas of initially ignoring a project/book because it seems too obvious, then having it return over and over, then learning to wait for it to tell you what it wants to be: I recognise those so much. They describe a project I'm now some eight years into.
Glad you enjoyed this one! Both of the podcast interviews I linked to are worth listening to, if you want more from Balle:
https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/podcasts-video/podcasts/solvej-balle-chris-power-on-the-calculation-of-volume
https://shows.acast.com/sandco/episodes/solvej-balle
Another big fan of the time loop premise here, and I enjoyed book one of Calculation of Volume. My contribution to the subgenre involves a world where
1. The loop is already old news by the time the story starts
2. The loop is experienced by an entire city
Skipping the protagonist's slow acclimation to the loop and its first-order implications, which most readers will already be familiar with in post-Groundhog Day 2026, kept the writing more interesting for me and allowed me to go deeper into what the premise can show us about the human condition. The absurd surreality of a culture and way of life that takes the time loop for granted has been a blast to explore!
https://open.substack.com/pub/takimwilliams/p/the-oddest-thing-about-the-folks?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=17mz6p
My wish is that all writers could share this sense of inevitability: "As a reader, you know, of course, that the novelist made all this up, that what’s on the page is the product of hundreds and hundreds of individual decisions—but it feels as if it couldn’t have been any other way."
Yay to book club, Mason! Sally Mann is prickly and it translates to her writer’s voice.
Alas, it seems like the book isn't out until the 19th September in the UK.
The first two volumes are out in the UK! Here they on Bookshop:
https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/on-the-calculation-of-volume-i-ii
Sorry! I was talking about the book club book – I should have specified!
Ah! OK, that is a bit of a bummer — I will keep the different US/UK release dates in mind for future book club picks. Hopefully you can still read along with us, just starting a little later.
I shall!
Absolutely mind-blowing
Sorry, that was sent too quickly…. Wanted to say that Balle’s (vol 1&2) are mind-blowing. I preordered the next two and cannot wait to continue. Absolutely worth it! And although 6am for Worm Zoom proved too early for me, I am contemplating book club now :) Great idea!
Ooh, yes, hope you can join us for Book Club!
Thank you for sharing this, Anna! I'm going to use that Tom Waits trick the next time I'm driving on the freeway and have an idea!
(Also, can so relate to the idea of being "the mule," barreling through it "really awkwardly" 🫏 )