Fiction

The Morning Star

The Morning Star

  • Downloads：9233
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-02 04:41:04
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Karl Ove Knausgård
  • ISBN：1910701718
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Summary

The dazzling new novel from the internationally bestselling author of My Struggle One long night in August， Arne and Tove are staying with their children in their summer house in southern Norway。 Their friend Egil has his own place nearby。 Kathrine， a priest， is flying home from a Bible seminar， questioning her marriage。 Journalist Jostein is out drinking for the night， while his wife， Turid， a nurse at a psychiatric care unit， is on a nightshift when one of her patients escapes。

Above them all， a huge star suddenly appears blazing in the sky。 It brings with it a mysterious sense of foreboding。

Strange things start to happen as nine lives come together under the star。 Hundreds of crabs amass on the road as Arne drives at night; Jostein receives a call about a death metal band found brutally murdered in a Satanic ritual; Kathrine conducts a funeral service for a man she met at the airport - but is he actually dead？

The Morning Star is about life in all its mundanity and drama， the strangeness that permeates our world， and the darkness in us all。 Karl Ove Knausgaard's astonishing new novel， his first after the My Struggle cycle， goes to the utmost limits of freedom and chaos， to what happens when forces beyond our comprehension are unleashed， and the realms of the living and the dead collide。

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Reviews

Daniel Terbush ，

Emotionally challenging and apocalyptic。 A very readable horror story。

Kajsa Lindberg ，

Läste denna bok med höga förväntningar men blev inte besviken。 En riktig bladvändare där nästan alla karaktärer blev favoriter som jag ville läsa mer om。 Slutet var inte det jag förväntade mig men det gör boken nästan mer intresseväckande。 Nu vill jag läsa den igen och se vad jag missade av symbolik i berättelserna。

Chris ，

An extraordinary melding of autofiction and genre fiction， and， more importantly in my view， a beautiful example of how a contemporary novel can still have big ideas。 I'd never read Knausgaard before， though of course I'd heard all the things about him。 I found this book much less haughty than expected。 The writing is brisk and unpretentious， following the chatty stream-of-conscious of multiple characters in their first-person POV。 The logline of the book might be that there's a mysterious and m An extraordinary melding of autofiction and genre fiction， and， more importantly in my view， a beautiful example of how a contemporary novel can still have big ideas。 I'd never read Knausgaard before， though of course I'd heard all the things about him。 I found this book much less haughty than expected。 The writing is brisk and unpretentious， following the chatty stream-of-conscious of multiple characters in their first-person POV。 The logline of the book might be that there's a mysterious and menacing new star in the sky， but I actually enjoyed how much of the book wasn't about that。 The first half introduces us to a cast of characters and plops us into various ordinary scenes in their lives， all leading up to a "reveal" at the end of each section showing how that person first encounters the new star in the sky。 There's a loose theological theme among the characters but nothing heavy-handed。 After the midway point， we return to these characters to go a little further in their lives after this new star appears。 Though it smartly avoids a lot of plotty exposition， I was genuinely creeped out by it--more by what I didn't know than what was told to me。 A lot of people might be frustrated with what's not answered by the end， but I found the ending profound and moving。 All I'll say is that it ends with an essay about death。 The book's partly about how unfashionable the topics of God and death are yet how unavoidably relevant they are at the same time。 It's wonderful to read big writers taking risks like this after achieving fame。 I hope it inspires other books like it， not just from Knausgaard。 。。。more

Leif Quinlan ，

Funny to say this in the context of his attempt at horror when I don't mean the "horror" part of it at all but Knausgård reminds me of Stephen King as a writer。 He can seemingly stream together as many characters and situations as he can imagine， page after page and keep it all compelling。 His characters are comparatively （to King） lean while still being interesting and his story chugs along without ever being tiresome。 No section lagged and I enjoyed every character's story along the way。 If th Funny to say this in the context of his attempt at horror when I don't mean the "horror" part of it at all but Knausgård reminds me of Stephen King as a writer。 He can seemingly stream together as many characters and situations as he can imagine， page after page and keep it all compelling。 His characters are comparatively （to King） lean while still being interesting and his story chugs along without ever being tiresome。 No section lagged and I enjoyed every character's story along the way。 If this reads like faint praise， I don't mean it to be - I love reading Knausgård。 "The Morning Star" really worked for me。 I sit here with fingers hovering finally realizing that I don't have too much interesting to say about this book。 It was 90% of a multi-character study with a 10% horror-ish element sprinkled in and I was there for it。 Knausgård has proven that he can move a domestic family drama forward over many （many， many） pages while keeping it interesting and in TMS， he handled suspense with a surprisingly deft touch。 Brandon Taylor wrote a terrific review over at The New Yorker that forced TMS to the top of my list （linked below） and if you're at all interested in reading this book， you should check that review out before you do。 One final thing - I LOVED the ending （not the essay - that was a misstep） and already am pissed that I have to wait for the second book in this trilogy to come outhttps://www。newyorker。com/books/page-。。。 。。。more

Per ，

Veldig interessant bok。 Startet som en god roman， med ulike historier som flettes inn i et større narrativ。 Etter hvert øker spenningen， og det gis en rekke små hint om hva som foregår。 Boken har flere interessante filosofiske og teologiske partier。 Mot slutten tar alt en brå vending， ut i en annen dimensjon。 Boka inkludere også et essay mot slutten， som berører et svært spennende tema， men noen konklusjoner blir tatt på tynt grunnlag， noe som kanskje ikke står helt i stil med karakteren som har Veldig interessant bok。 Startet som en god roman， med ulike historier som flettes inn i et større narrativ。 Etter hvert øker spenningen， og det gis en rekke små hint om hva som foregår。 Boken har flere interessante filosofiske og teologiske partier。 Mot slutten tar alt en brå vending， ut i en annen dimensjon。 Boka inkludere også et essay mot slutten， som berører et svært spennende tema， men noen konklusjoner blir tatt på tynt grunnlag， noe som kanskje ikke står helt i stil med karakteren som har forfattet essayet。 På mange måter en fin slutt， selv om jeg sitter igjen og kjenner at det var noe uforløst。 Kan anbefales for undrende mennesker， som ikke trenger noe klart svar eller forløsning。 。。。more

Hollie Alphenaar ，

I quit reading this book。 I was having a hard time getting into it。 I may pick it up in the future。

Roberta Berardi ，

What did I just finish reading！？

Christiane ，

Duistere onheilspellende roman die voornamelijk over de dood gaat。 De verwijzingen naar de Bijbel en de verhandeling over Heidegger waren er teveel aan。 Maar hoe Knausgard kan schrijven over mensen en hun dagelijks leven maakt die 666 duivelse bladzijden bijzonder goed。

jt ，

Hard to define， and very flawed。 Yet there are moments that make this jumble worthwhile， primarily ones that might have been better were I reading My Struggle part 7 or whatever。 He missed the mark of whatever he's aiming at， but he's aiming at the meaning of death which is itself difficult to define。 Is he Heideggerian？ Does he believe in God？ Are the characters experiencing a rebirth of the pagan？ Probably not， he's Knausgaard。 He's just feeling things。 Hard to define， and very flawed。 Yet there are moments that make this jumble worthwhile， primarily ones that might have been better were I reading My Struggle part 7 or whatever。 He missed the mark of whatever he's aiming at， but he's aiming at the meaning of death which is itself difficult to define。 Is he Heideggerian？ Does he believe in God？ Are the characters experiencing a rebirth of the pagan？ Probably not， he's Knausgaard。 He's just feeling things。 。。。more

Riitta ，

Upprörande， tankeväckande， otäck och så knausgårdianskt jordnära， tvärsöver genregränser。 Helt enkelt en fantastisk bok。

Mel ，

Still processing this; just finished it this morning。 It's very strong and very engrossing with intricate details across a range of characters （from routine shopping and deciding what flowers to by， to the step by step process of removing organs for a transplant） yet also to the unanswered questions about what happens to us/our spirits when we die。 And then there are the places in the story that literally made me jump and gasp out loud （on an airplane， no less）。It takes me back to Bolano's 2666。 Still processing this; just finished it this morning。 It's very strong and very engrossing with intricate details across a range of characters （from routine shopping and deciding what flowers to by， to the step by step process of removing organs for a transplant） yet also to the unanswered questions about what happens to us/our spirits when we die。 And then there are the places in the story that literally made me jump and gasp out loud （on an airplane， no less）。It takes me back to Bolano's 2666。 I have just ordered Knausgard's Min Kamp 1。 Anyone have recs for good Native American fiction that captures ideas and beliefs about spirits and transcendence？ 。。。more

Brendan Monroe ，

It has been some time since I have arrived at the final page of a book and immediately wanted to flip back to the beginning and plunge right in again， but a strong desire to do just that filled me upon reaching the top of page 666 and seeing that I had only five more lines to go。There is so much here， so much more than I managed to pick up in a single reading I'm sure。 Narrated in the first person by nine different characters， all of whom feel at times like various echoes of Knausgård himself， t It has been some time since I have arrived at the final page of a book and immediately wanted to flip back to the beginning and plunge right in again， but a strong desire to do just that filled me upon reaching the top of page 666 and seeing that I had only five more lines to go。There is so much here， so much more than I managed to pick up in a single reading I'm sure。 Narrated in the first person by nine different characters， all of whom feel at times like various echoes of Knausgård himself， there are surely connections between them I missed， allusions that would have helped in uncovering the odd events that take place throughout the book I overlooked。 The referenced songs and books that I skimmed over， failing to look up as I raced through page after page 。。。 they may have contained the key to unlocking it all。It was only after finishing this — in last night's small hours， my reading having slowed as the remaining pages shrunk under my right thumb， me savoring each one like scripture — that I learned that this is apparently the first part of what will be a new series。 The first part！！Ha！ We should have known。 Karl Ove writes books like Krzysztof Kieślowski directed films — leisurely， not in a rush to get to the destination but for the pleasure of the journey。 He's in the getaway car， the roar of sirens in the distance， but he pulls over to the roadside diner to have some coffee and a slice of triple berry pie。 He's brought along a weathered copy of "Crime and Punishment" so he'll be a while。 We'll return to our heist story in 200 pages or so 。。。 just be patient。I have to admit that I was fearful even before picking up this very eerie — in the most deliciously gothicy Gothic Horror sort of way — novel。 Fearful that perhaps Karl Ove was only a one-hit-wonder。 Or， rather， a six-hit-wonder， as his game-changing， six-part "My Struggle" series truly raised the bar to a level even Simone Biles would have had difficulty clearing。 Alas， I needn't have worried。 Karl Ove is the real deal， which delights me not just as a reader， but as a human being。 After vicariously living through so many of the ups-and-downs of his life as he portrayed them， from early childhood up through adulthood， I've come to find myself quite attached to Karl Ove and liking him all the more thanks to his 4，000+ page "struggle。" After his incredible 400-page-essay on Hitler， "The Name and the Number，" in Book Six， Karl Ove couldn't resist including another essay here， "On Death and the Dead，" written from the standpoint of one of the book's main characters。 It's things like that， including scholarly essays in the midst of what the unacquainted might simply accuse of being "genre fiction，" that separate Knausgård from the pack。 Knausgård has the ability to take what， in another author's hands， would be a novel you buy at the airport bookstore and leave on the plane at the other end， and elevate it to art。 Of all the writers I enjoy reading， there are only two writing today whose books I must get my hands on as soon as they are released — to hell with waiting for the paperback！ The French writer Michel Houellebecq is one， Knausgård is the other。 I read Houellebecq not because I especially love his books for the pleasure of reading them but more so because reading them has always felt necessary in our times， so relevant to our world today。 With "The Morning Star，" though， Knausgård has laid claim to that same territory。 What is the morning star？ What does it signify？ Something dark， it would appear， the strange events greeting its rise hardly the stuff of Disney fairy tales， but a herald of something far more Grimm 。。。An ominous beacon？ A Sword of Damocles hanging over us all， casting society as we know it in its yellow gaze？ Are there any real-life parallels you can draw to that in a world where climate change is an existential threat to us all （never mind the multitude of other potentially planet-altering crises currently staring boldly out of your paper's front page）？ "The Morning Star" is about death and dying。 Physical death， yes， yours and mine， but also the death of knowledge， of memory， of tradition。 This loss， this eternal forgetting， is at the door now， bringing with it the ability to doom us all。 What could be more terrifying than that？ 。。。more

Shelley ，

This is one of those novels that seems to be the product of the author's philosophical musings—in this case， a secular man's "but， what if。。。？" anxiety about what happens after death。 Knausgård definitely seems to be "cross-pressured，" to use Charles Taylor's term， if this novel is any reflection of what is going on in his head。 The plot， at times gripping， takes a back seat to the ideas。 The ideas are interesting， but （view spoiler）[（the tension and momentum Knausgård spends 600 pages generatin This is one of those novels that seems to be the product of the author's philosophical musings—in this case， a secular man's "but， what if。。。？" anxiety about what happens after death。 Knausgård definitely seems to be "cross-pressured，" to use Charles Taylor's term， if this novel is any reflection of what is going on in his head。 The plot， at times gripping， takes a back seat to the ideas。 The ideas are interesting， but （view spoiler）[（the tension and momentum Knausgård spends 600 pages generating is totally obliterated by that anti-climactic and pretentious essay at the novel's conclusion。） （hide spoiler）] In the end， I came away impressed with Knausgård as an observer of human nature， but somewhat ambivalent about him as a writer。 The Morning Star just doesn't hang together all that well as a novel。 It's unsettling， and then。。。unsatisfying。 Unless， he's planning a sequel。。。which I suppose wouldn't be that surprising！ When someone on Goodreads described this as a "theological thriller，" I thought to myself， I'll either love it or hate it。 I was wrong about that; my feelings about it are much more mixed。 。。。more

Jill ，

This was a tough one to rate。 I was glued to this one and couldn't put it down。 Love his writing but a lot of pontification about religion， life and death。 Held my interest til the end and glad I finished it。 Lots to think about。 Does not really wrap up nicely in the end。 Lots of questions。 This was a tough one to rate。 I was glued to this one and couldn't put it down。 Love his writing but a lot of pontification about religion， life and death。 Held my interest til the end and glad I finished it。 Lots to think about。 Does not really wrap up nicely in the end。 Lots of questions。 。。。more

holden ，

Izvanredna studija likova， interesantan pristup filozofiji i religijskim pitanjima i intrigantna priča， koja nekada iz najobičnije drame prerasta u čist egzistencijalni horor， čine ovu knjigu odličnim pokazateljem Knausgorovog neverovatnog talenta da spoji nespojivo u svetu u kome se najobičnije nalazi rame uz rame sa najčudnijim。 Voleo bih da kažem da je bilo neophodno da knjiga bude makar sedamdesetak stranica kraća kako bi se održala dinamičnost （koja joj je u određenim poglavljima bila preko Izvanredna studija likova， interesantan pristup filozofiji i religijskim pitanjima i intrigantna priča， koja nekada iz najobičnije drame prerasta u čist egzistencijalni horor， čine ovu knjigu odličnim pokazateljem Knausgorovog neverovatnog talenta da spoji nespojivo u svetu u kome se najobičnije nalazi rame uz rame sa najčudnijim。 Voleo bih da kažem da je bilo neophodno da knjiga bude makar sedamdesetak stranica kraća kako bi se održala dinamičnost （koja joj je u određenim poglavljima bila preko potrebna）， ali onda bismo bili na gubitku jer ne bismo mogli da doživimo interesantan osećaj završavanja jedne knjige ovakve tematike tačno na 666。 stranici！ 。。。more

Ragnar Bang Moe ，

Lydbok。 Streamet。 Storytel。 Bokmål。 Delt forhold til Knausgård， skriver godt men så utleverende。。。Godt skrevet igjen， gir ett solid inntrykk av at han har hatt mange av disse probleme/lidelsene tett på kroppen， at han har vært nær pårørende， og kanskje egen erfaringer。 Fascinerende bruk av detaljskildringer。 Men sekvensen med metafysiske grublerier i skinndød tilstand og livsfilosfi ga meg absolutt ingenting， bare røl - bortsett fra når han gjengir gresk mytolgi og filosofi。

Adam ，

This is a good book。

DaViD´82 ，

It is never the case that we know what we see， but rather the other way round: we see what we know。 Pokud jste četli Knausgardův fikčně （skoro）autobiografický Můj boj， tak poznáte předobraz jedné každé postavy; a ostatně i nejednu ze situací。 Což je o řád umocněno i tím， že je to psáno jeho "trademarkovým" svébytným "do detailu píšu doslova o hovně a těch nejobyčejnějších věcech i činnostech， ale způsobem který bere dech"。 Do toho je to "téměř jako Pozůstalí" v tom ohledu， že se tu děje mystická It is never the case that we know what we see， but rather the other way round: we see what we know。 Pokud jste četli Knausgardův fikčně （skoro）autobiografický Můj boj， tak poznáte předobraz jedné každé postavy; a ostatně i nejednu ze situací。 Což je o řád umocněno i tím， že je to psáno jeho "trademarkovým" svébytným "do detailu píšu doslova o hovně a těch nejobyčejnějších věcech i činnostech， ale způsobem který bere dech"。 Do toho je to "téměř jako Pozůstalí" v tom ohledu， že se tu děje mystická událost， která zasáhne do života všech na planetě。 Knausgård však nezajímá ani v nejmenším （jakože ani náznakem） onen fenomén。 Dokonce ani jeho dopady na konkrétní osudy obyčejných lidí。 Jeho zajímají jejich chyby a to， že i nadále musejí každý den zaopatřit rodinu， jít do školy， vyzvednout děcka， zorganizovat oslavu， vydělat， nakoupit， uvařit a protloukat se svou existencí。 Mišmaš osudů， který však vede odnikud nikam。 Vynikající v konceptu i provedení， jen to nebude pro každého。 Což však od Knausgårda jeden tak nějak očekává; a ostatně i vyžaduje。 Nepočítejte se zápletkou， že by ty osudy nebyly jen výseky （rozhodně nemají pointu či tak něco） a ostatně finálních několik desítek stran je filosofický pamflet/slohová práce jedné postav ohledně smrti; to snad pokud byste měli bláhovou naději， že to v závěru přeci jen někam dojde/k něčemu vyústí。 。。。more

Nada Elshabrawy ，

beside being very well written， it's very disturbing。 beside being very well written， it's very disturbing。 。。。more

Jessie Fussell ，

I’m not sure how I went from wanting to dump this book to giving it 5 stars， but here I am。 It’s a strange brew — at times pulpy， at times profound， and overall plotless — but （at least for the final 400 pages） totally absorbing。

Jason Allison ，

Knausgaard lulls you with his vivid depictions of Scandinavian life， then slips daggers of truly disturbing imagery between your ribs。 Those moments cut deep。 And， as ever， he closes with a long， philosophical rumination on death itself。 Another stunning achievement。

Esra Tasdelen ，

This is the fastest I will have finished a 666 pages long book， and I have never read anything like this in my life。 It completely possessed me in the past 5 days that I have been reading it。 It's like Stephen King on steroids， Biblical， highly existential and philosophical， with a super dark suspense， and Heidegger， Kierkegaard and Nietzsche interwoven with a multiple POV style narration。 It is like a fever dream， like the book version of an Ingmar Bergman movie， with the same preoccupation wit This is the fastest I will have finished a 666 pages long book， and I have never read anything like this in my life。 It completely possessed me in the past 5 days that I have been reading it。 It's like Stephen King on steroids， Biblical， highly existential and philosophical， with a super dark suspense， and Heidegger， Kierkegaard and Nietzsche interwoven with a multiple POV style narration。 It is like a fever dream， like the book version of an Ingmar Bergman movie， with the same preoccupation with life and death， the same Nordic angst。。 I feel like Knausgaard grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me。 What a wild ride of a book。 I am in awe！ 。。。more

Emily ，

Knausgaard doesn't disappoint。 Knausgaard doesn't disappoint。 。。。more

N N ，

As always， loved the prose and the way Knausgaard so perfectly captures quotidian details to make every character fascinating。 However， I did not expect this to be a horror story; the plot was a bit too disturbing for my liking。 Also did not enjoy the pseudo-philosophizing on death and religion。 Still， an interesting read and probably still worth it if just for the phenomenal writing。

Rick ，

The writing is crisp and the characters， while often pathetic， are interesting。 But there was no continuity between the chapters， no linkage as the book progressed， and the section on the philosophy of death was tedious。 I kept hoping there would be a common goal or the characters meeting each other。 Is that asking too much of a 666 page book？

John ，

round down for the 3。5’s

Annelies ，

666 （！） bladzijden achter elkaar gelezen & dat is op zich mijn hoge waardering waard。 K。 kan zo lekker schrijven- zo makkelijk en licht- het plezier spat ervan af， zoals je bij een schilderij van de vette olieverfstreken kan genieten zonder dat je je afvraagt wat het voorstelt。 Wat moet het een genoegen zijn om zijn teksten in de oorspronkelijke taal te lezen。 Zijn gedetailleerde beschrijving van huishoudelijke handelingen， van het landschap zijn meesterlijk en roepen een， zijn， werkelijkheid op 666 （！） bladzijden achter elkaar gelezen & dat is op zich mijn hoge waardering waard。 K。 kan zo lekker schrijven- zo makkelijk en licht- het plezier spat ervan af， zoals je bij een schilderij van de vette olieverfstreken kan genieten zonder dat je je afvraagt wat het voorstelt。 Wat moet het een genoegen zijn om zijn teksten in de oorspronkelijke taal te lezen。 Zijn gedetailleerde beschrijving van huishoudelijke handelingen， van het landschap zijn meesterlijk en roepen een， zijn， werkelijkheid op。 Een werkelijkheid die niet de waarheid is， een van K’s grote thema’s。 9 perspectieven en 9 plotlijnen drijven de vertelling voort， afgesloten met een essay over de dood en de doden - het andere grote thema van K。 Als ik nog voor de klas zou staan， zou ik met 5 vwo deze roman （？ K。 tart de genre-indeling） graag willen analyseren vanuit het perspectief van de mythe。 Dieren， symbolen， religie， sjamanen， vampiers van alles komt erin voor。 Misschien vind ik zelf de grensoverschrijding wel het overkoepelende thema van dit boek waarin het bewustzijn （‘het grootste raadsel dat er bestaat’ p 331） de belangrijkste rol speelt。 （ coma， droom， anesthesie， psychose） Vier sterren。 Waarom geen 5？ Omdat het niet af is。 。。。more

Kalle Vilenius ，

Taivaalle ilmestyy uusi tähti， ihmiset alkavat nähdä kuolleita ja eläimet alkavat käyttäytyä omituisesti。 Siinä on aika lailla tiivistettynä mitä tässä kirjassa tapahtuu， ja saman kertoo takakannen tekstikin。 Sopivasti 666 sivun aikana tapahtuu toki paljon muutakin。Knausgård jatkaa totuttua ensimmäisen persoonan käyttöä kerronnassaan， mutta minäkertojia on tällä kertaa useampia。 Heidän sukupuolensa， ikänsä ja elämäntilanteensa vaihtelevat niin， että jokaisella on omanlaisensa näkökulma siihen， m Taivaalle ilmestyy uusi tähti， ihmiset alkavat nähdä kuolleita ja eläimet alkavat käyttäytyä omituisesti。 Siinä on aika lailla tiivistettynä mitä tässä kirjassa tapahtuu， ja saman kertoo takakannen tekstikin。 Sopivasti 666 sivun aikana tapahtuu toki paljon muutakin。Knausgård jatkaa totuttua ensimmäisen persoonan käyttöä kerronnassaan， mutta minäkertojia on tällä kertaa useampia。 Heidän sukupuolensa， ikänsä ja elämäntilanteensa vaihtelevat niin， että jokaisella on omanlaisensa näkökulma siihen， mitä kirjassa tapahtuu。 Heidän elämänsä sivuavat toisiaan joko läheisesti tai etäisesti， osa kuuluu samaan perhekuntaan toisten päähenkilöiden kanssa， ja toisinaan saamme kokea samat tapahtumat useamman henkilön näkökulmasta。 Esimerkiksi puhelinkeskustelu näyttäytyy seuraavassa luvussa täysin erilaisena， kun saamme tietää toisen siihen osallistuvan henkilön tilanteen。 Vaikka kirjalla on pituutta， tapahtumat sijoittuvat todella lyhyelle aikajanalle， aivan loppua lukuun ottamatta eletään kahta vuorokautta。 Hitaaksi Aamutähteä ei voi kuitenkaan haukkua。 Epätavallisuus tunkeutuu arkeen jo ensimmäisessä luvussa， ja siinä ehtii tapahtua jo epämiellyttäviä väkivallantekoja。 Ensin olin huolissani siitä， kykeneekö Knausgård minäkertojaa käyttämällä luomaan hahmoja， jotka eroavat toisistaan， aiemmissa romaaneissaan hän on lähinnä kertonut omasta elämästään joko suoraan tai Henrik Vankelin hahmon kautta。 Ilokseni hän onnistuu antamaan jokaiselle oman äänensä， eikä mitään sekoittumisen vaaraa ole。 Jotain vanhoja kokemuksiaan hänellä kyllä tähänkin tekstiin on riittänyt。 Esimerkkinä kohtaus， jossa kehitysvammaisten laitoksessa työskentelevä hahmo löytää asukkaan innokkaasti masturboimasta。 Saman näyn Knausgård kuvasi myös siviilipalvelusaikaansa sijoittuvassa osiossa Taisteluni -sarjassa。 Yliluonnolliset tapahtumat ovat hillittyjä， Aamutähti ei ole mikään fantasiaromaani。 Ihmisten arjen kuvaus ja siihen tunkeutuva poikkeavuus muistuttaa jonkin verran Stephen Kingiä， mutta en halua verrata Kingiä ja Knausgårdia toisiinsa sen enempää。 Suurin osa jännityksestä tulee ihmisten elävän elämän ongelmista， hajonneista ihmissuhteista， Parkinsonin tautia sairastavasta äidistä， vieraantuneesta lapsesta tai psykoosiin joutuneesta puolisosta。 Knausgård tekee näistä ongelmista ja niiden kanssa kipuilevista ihmisistä samaistuttavia。 Rajallisen minäkertojan pään sisällä lukijaa ehtii tottua kunkin henkilön luonteeseen ja heidän intresseihinsä， sitä melkein unohtaa kirjassa tapahtuvan jotain yliluonnollistakin。Sitten se tapahtuu。 Aamutähti luo kaksi jännitettä， jotka pakottavat jatkamaan sivujen kääntämistä。 Yhtäältä on tarve tietää， miten henkilöt selviävät näistä normaaleista ongelmistaan， toisaalta tarve tietää mistä uuden tähden ilmestymisessä ja kuolleiden näkemisessä on kyse。 Kirjan kuvaamien päivien aikana lopullisia vastauksia ei saada。 Viimeinen kertoja saa kuulla jotain joka jättää lukijan aivan tyhjän päälle。 Halu tietää mitä oikein on tapahtunut， on sietämätön， mutta vastauksia ei kuulu。 Kirja ei kuitenkaan lopu siihen， vaan lopussa on vielä erään hahmon kirjoittama essee， jossa vihjataan kirjan omituisten tapahtumien alkaneen jo paljon aiemmin。 Saas nährä miten jatko-osassa käy。5/5 。。。more

Xurando ，

I am currently on the last chapter of The Morning Star。 In general， it has met my expectations for a well written， accessible， long， ambiguous and enigmatic novel。However， while reading the second to the last chapter， I had a very strong deja vu felling， like I had read this before。 What it could it be？ While wracking my brain， I suddenly realized that a significant portion of this chapter felt like it had been pulled out of Haruku Mirakami's book Killing Commendatore。 In that book the protagoni I am currently on the last chapter of The Morning Star。 In general， it has met my expectations for a well written， accessible， long， ambiguous and enigmatic novel。However， while reading the second to the last chapter， I had a very strong deja vu felling， like I had read this before。 What it could it be？ While wracking my brain， I suddenly realized that a significant portion of this chapter felt like it had been pulled out of Haruku Mirakami's book Killing Commendatore。 In that book the protagonist winds up in a strange world full of forests， heaths and strange beings。 He never fully grasps what is going on there。 Killing Commendatore was probably published in English while KOK was writing The Morning Star。 I will let others determine whether KOK's idea was original， but for me it left a bad a taste in my overall reading experience。 。。。more

Martina ，

I was disappointed。 It was really quite weird！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Morning Star

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Morning Star&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Morning Star&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0