On the Calculation of Volume I has a basic Groundhog Day concept at its core, with the protagonist Tara Selter reliving the same day over and over again. On the surface, this may sound repetitive, but I quickly became completely absorbed. My favourite novels tell a good story whilst simultaneously providing food for thought. I’m happy to say, On the Calculation of Volume I delivered on both accounts.
From a high level perspective, On the Calculation of Volume I has similarities to Orbital, last year’s Booker Prize winner. Both books utilise displacement in the space-time continuum to make the characters reflect on the human condition. In Orbital, the characters have been displaced in space; they are literally floating weightless in orbit around Earth. In On the Calculation of Volume I, the protagonist has been displaced in time, getting stuck in an eternal time-loop.
Whilst both novellas integrate science and philosophy in the storyline, I found On the Calculation of Volume I more layered and abstract. Most likely, readers will interpret it differently, and focus on different aspects.
1. Existentialism, Absurdity, Free Will
Tara spends a huge amount of time to investigate. How did she get into the time-loop? How does she get out? Why do some objects stay, whereas others disappear when the day resets?
I believe, it’s part of the human condition to seek explanations. Surely, there must be meaning behind the madness. But why? We are living in a world of probability (i.e. quantum physics) and coincidence. So why should there be a deeper meaning? Why should there be a consistent “logic” which explains Tara’s observations in her new time-loop reality? At some point Tara reflects, she should just accept the inconsistencies as one of life’s many coincidences.
This discussion reminded me of certain aspects of existentialism. Life may be absurd, there isn’t a predefined meaning. You have to accept this and seek out your own meaning, even if you have no control of what the world throws at you. As it happens, the world throws the same at Tara every single day. But she decides how she responds. Life can be repetitive and mundane or it can be interesting and new. You can despair in the repetitiveness or find joy in the small details. You decide.
I was intrigued about how the existential aspect fits with the block universe thinking. According to current scientific paradigm, the block universe may imply lack of free will. Tara’s ability to deviate her actions from day to day, despite living the same day over and over again could be interpreted as free will, but on closer inspection this doesn’t necessarily follow. Ultimately, Tara keeps her memories over time, i.e. the boundary conditions differ.
2. Time & Living in the Moment
The last couple of years, I’ve become obsessed with time and The Calculation of Volume I offered some interesting commentary. Why are we so obsessed with the past? The protagonist deals in antique books and should understand this better than most. When caught in a time-loop, she shifts to a different frame of mind. With no future in sight, Tara learns to live in the moment. Finding joy in small sounds, enjoying the sight of the night sky.
The concept of aging or moving in time was also discussed. From Tara’s point of view, she is aging, despite being in a time-loop. Her hair grows, her burning injury heals. Her husband Thomas on the other hand is exactly the same, whenever time resets. He doesn’t change, he doesn’t get any older. Is this a time paradox? Surely, it should be the other way around.
3. Estrangement in Relationships
In the early stages of the time-loop, Tara and her husband remain close. Despite the weird situation, Thomas is supportive and understanding. He never doubts Tara for minute. As the time-loop goes on, time literally pushes them apart. Gradually, they move out of sync. This estrangement is a central theme in the novel. At some point, Tara decides to disappear and stay hidden in the spare room. We feel Tara’s pain and longing as she moves around in the house as a ghost, listening to the sounds produced by Thomas. The isolation is voluntary. She wants to be with her husband, but she does what is best for him.
4. Ghosts and Monsters
Overconsumption and sustainability also get a nod by the author. When Thomas “the ghost” consumes food, everything is back on the shelves, when the day resets. When Tara “the monster” consumes, storage gradually dwindles and eventually disappear. She learns to spread her consumption over different shops and eat different kind of foods. I’m not sure, I fully grasped the whole ghosts vs. monsters discussion, but I was certainly intrigued.
5. Writing as a Means of Heeling
At an early stage Tara decides to write a journal, which is what we are reading. Besides from using it as scientific documentation, she talks about finding heeling in sentences. There isn’t much she can do about her predicament, but writing may help to process everything.
6. The Science
A fascinating aspect of time travel novels time is how the science and metaphysics can possibly make sense. From a classic Einstein point of view, we live in a block universe, where past, present and future all exist. That seems inconsistent with a time-loop producing different outcomes in the various loops. We could add quantum physics and the many world theory. If we look at Thomas, who presumably continues his life outside the time-loop, that may provide a satisfactory solution. In all the loops where Thomas interacts with Tara, the world splits with a different Thomas in each of them. For Tara it is more complicated. We have one person with the memories of every day in the time-loop. Logically that must be the same Tara in the same universe. But Tara isn’t the same person from day to day. Her hair grows, her wound heals. So the fact that time loops for Tara changes the block universe? I know this is fiction, but I always enjoy pondering of the scientific aspects of playing with time.
7. Final Thoughts
On the Calculation of Volume I tapped into all the elements I love in books. It’s a philosophical take on the human condition wrapped in a playful science fiction concept. I feared repetitiveness, but ended up wanting to pick up Volume II immediately. The writing sucked me in and the inexplicability of it all added a page-turning quality to the novella. The translator Barbara Haveland also deserves praise. Being Danish, I would have preferred to read On the Calculation in the original language. Noticing a few phrases that don’t exist in Danish made me even more curious about the original text. However, the English translation was impressive and I wouldn’t have suspected this was a translated work.
Title: On the Calculation of Volume I [2024]
Author: Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara Haveland
Format: Audiobook, narrated by Elizabeth Liang
Genre: Fiction
On the Calculation of Volume I is the first instalment in a planned septology, where the protagonist Tara relives 18th November over and over again. Whilst five of the books are available in Danish, only Volume I and II are currently published in the UK. The next instalment comes out on – can you guess – the 18th of November.
Solvej Balle is a Danish author, who holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy. Balle won the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2022 after the three first volumes of her septology were published. In 2024, she was longlisted for the National Book Award for Translated Literature and in 2025, Volume I was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.
See interview with author and translator by Words Without Borders here.
On the face of it, this book would have me running for the hills. Time travel etc. – anything SF-ish – is a real turn-off for me, But you have encouraged me to think that this is both well-written, and well thought out. And it’s short! And available in our library service. So I might give it a go. Though it seesm particularly hard on Our Heroine that she is stuck in November – my least favourite month of the year.
I actually think it appeals to readers who are interested in introspective musings rather than action-packed sci-fi. And you are right – it is very short. I was a bit sceptical during chapter one, but I think it picked up already in chapter two. November seems one of the worst months getting stuck in, I thought of that as well. Hope you will give it a try, although I can’t guarantee, you’ll like it.
Stargazer, I am reading this book at the moment. I thought of you immediately when it crossed my path and as I read your post I wondered what language you had read it in. I’m glad to have your assessment of the translation; to me it is marvellous but of course I have no way of comparing it with the original.
As usual, you have enriched my reading of what is already an absorbing text. I love the density of this novella; each tiny detail is recorded. And the repetition ought to make it tedious but I find it quite the opposite. The author has chosen a particularly bleak day in which to trap her protagonist and I feel sure this was deliberate. Such days are certainly not my ideal but I am immediately trapped in that November day as soon as I resume reading. As a seasonal reader I have quietly wished that I’d picked up this book in November; it’s great to know that volume 3 will be published on Nov 18th!
I’m intrigued! I’m a sucker for Groundhog Day/time loop stories so had this on my list after reading another review, but yours makes me want to read this as soon as possible?
What language do you plan to read the following books in?
Nicely done review.
Great review. I really need to try this one
I’m glad you liked this one a lot. The concept does seem to offer much to think about. And now I wonder if the protagonist gets out of her time loop predicament at the end or if she is still stuck. I guess it’s up to me to read it. I see that Heart Lamp won the International Booker which surprised many.