Doppler (original 2004; edition 2012)

I picked this book up because of the cover, because of the blurb and especially because of the moose. I'm intrigued by Scandanavian stories and had high hopes for Doppler. My reading was that Doppler is meant to be a sort of anti-consumerist messiah. He doesn't grow or evolve through the story, rather everyone around him comes to embrace his views. Or they're idiots. If you've been looking for a tale to affirm your decision to ditch the wife and kids and get in touch with your inner forest troll, this is the book for you. But be warned: the moose does't turn up as much as you might wish. ( )

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to give up on modern life and move into a tent in the woods? Erlend Loe explores that idea in Doppler.

The book appealed to me on a number of levels. I love the wilderness and the solitude it offers. I’m also concerned with the various trappings of modern culture and was attracted by the promise of a “deeply subversive and … strong criticism of modern consumer culture” (back cover).

First, the good: Loe is a gifted writer who develops Doppler’s character with simplicity and humour. The pages of this short novel flip by effortlessly. By the end, I felt like I really understood the man as well as his acquaintances.

The problem is this: I don’t like Doppler. I don’t like the path he’s chosen. I don’t like his attitude towards his wife, his children, or the people who seem (inexplicably) drawn to him. Here’s his philosophy of life in a nutshell:

"I don’t like people. I don’t like what they do. I don’t like what they are. I don’t like what they say" (27).

It’s telling that Doppler’s only friend (if you can call it that) is an orphaned Moose. Doppler is a selfish man, a selfishness that Loe tries to mask as self-discovery.

This book does subvert modern consumer culture, but it merely trades consumerism for isolationism.

If you say that you don’t like people, you will eventually have to face the fact that you’re a person. Perhaps that’s addressed in the sequel. ( )

And fantastic novel about the increase of consumerism in society and the great feeling of being outdoors and with nature. For those feeling the world is too concerned with itself these days, an excellent read. Can get through the whole book in one sitting! ( )

This was an amazing book, I pretty much inhaled the book. The writing was extremely well done, the characters, particularly Doppler where fun to read about. I thought the character was incredible well written and established. Especially considering I was never sure exactly what was going on in his head, and how much that was happening around him was fact and how much was fiction.

In fact, one of my favourite aspects to this little novella was I was never quite sure if Doppler was just an eccentric man, or if he was suffering from a mental illness. There were times where he seemed to make some profound thoughts and statements, and other times where he seemed to be quite insane. I loved how as a reader, you're never sure. Some of the things he said and did, I wasn't even sure actually happened, and I loved questioning how much was reality, how much had he imagined it all. Perhaps he was still lying in the forest after hitting his head.

The story was also, somewhat of a light read, even if you read it for face level, it was a nice short read, about a man living in the forest with his pet moose, Bongo, and their journey together. It was very sweet.

Overall it was a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it.

Also found on my book review blog Jules' Book Reviews - Doppler ( )

Marketed in the UK as a Christmas book with the tagline "An elk is for life... not just for Christmas", in fact a book which has an elk in is not just for Christmas either. Whilst the main charcater, Doppler, does indeed team up with an elk, it is more about one man's reaction to an overdose of consumerism as he takes to the forest. A funny book, both haha and peculiar. ( )