MORNING AND EVENING 2nd Edition

Jon Fosse, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023, has not reached a large audience in English, perhaps because of his Scandinavian tendency toward dark introspection. The relatively short opening section of this audiobook covers the birth of Johannes, a moment of hope and pride for his father, but the rest involves his death many years later. Listeners get hints of what has come between, but most of the action takes place inside Johannes's head. Kåre Conradi's performance is mostly straightforward since the dominant mood of this interior narrative is puzzlement. When strong emotion is called for, Conradi delivers. Since everything is seen from the single viewpoint of Johannes, Conradi doesn't try to differentiate voices, but it's always clear who is speaking (and there isn't much dialogue). D.M.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2024]