Solvej Balle’s 'On the Calculation of Volume' redefines time loops
A profound exploration of time, memory, and human resilience in Solvej Balle’s remarkable septology.
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| Illustration by Xiuxia Huang |
By Hayu Andini and Widya Putri
On the Calculation of Volume, by Solvej Balle; translated by Barbara J. Haveland
Time loops have long intrigued storytellers and audiences alike, offering a chance to revisit the same moment in endless variations. From Groundhog Day’s comic repetition to the philosophical musings of “time as a flat circle,” the concept has often revolved around moral awakening, personal growth, or a clear resolution. But Danish writer Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume, a seven-volume masterpiece, takes a radically different approach. The septology, in a lyrical translation by Barbara J. Haveland, reimagines the time-loop narrative as a poignant meditation on existence, memory, and the very nature of time.
At the heart of the story is Tara Selter, an antiquarian book dealer who finds herself inexplicably stuck in a single day: November 18. Her life becomes a surreal blend of the repetitive and the dynamic, as she discovers that while some elements of her day reset, others remain unchanged. This juxtaposition sets the stage for a narrative that is as much about cataloging life’s minutiae as it is about confronting its uncertainties.
The first volume of the series introduces Tara’s predicament with both precision and depth. Before time unraveled, she was one half of T. & T. Selter, a business specializing in 18th-century illustrated works, which she ran with her husband, Thomas, in the fictional French village of Clairon-sous-Bois. On November 17, Tara leaves for a rare-books auction in Bordeaux, spending the night in Paris before returning home. Her first—or perhaps last—November 18 unfolds with a series of events that seem unremarkable: a visit to a friend’s bookshop, the purchase of a Roman sestertius coin, and a minor accident involving a gas heater.
Yet as the day begins to repeat, Tara notices subtle inconsistencies. While her burnt hand begins to heal across iterations, some objects she acquired for her shop remain, while others vanish. In the second volume, Tara turns her focus to understanding these phenomena, attempting to "train" objects to persist across her recurring days. Through her meticulous observations, she becomes a chronicler of the seemingly ordinary—a “noticer” of the celestial, meteorological, and interpersonal fragments that make up her reality.
Unlike traditional time-loop stories, where the protagonist seeks to escape by learning a life lesson or resolving past mistakes, Tara accepts her altered reality. As she observes, “I no longer believe that I will suddenly wake up to a time that has returned to normal.” Her journey is not one of escape but of adaptation, of finding meaning in repetition and discovering how to exist within an altered flow of time.
Balle’s narrative brilliance lies in her ability to juxtapose the mundane with the profound. Structured as a numbered diary, the story plunges readers into what French writer Georges Perec called the “infraordinary”—the small, overlooked details of daily life that, when examined closely, reveal deeper truths. Tara’s observations transform the habitual and the banal into a stirring confrontation with reality.
Her relationship with her husband, Thomas, serves as one of the novel’s emotional anchors. When she returns home to him each November 18, he is bewildered by her apparent early arrival. Their marriage becomes a microcosm of her larger existential dilemma: the distance that grows between two people living in the same house but separated by time. As Tara notes, “Time has come between us.” Her decision to move into a spare bedroom and observe Thomas from afar speaks to the novel’s broader themes of isolation, connection, and the limits of shared experience.
In the second volume, Tara ventures beyond her familiar surroundings, seeking new ways to interact with her unchanging day. She experiments with geography, traveling north and south to simulate seasonal changes she can no longer experience naturally. In one particularly poignant moment, she asks her family to celebrate Christmas on November 18, a gesture that underscores her longing for normalcy amidst the surreal.
Balle’s handling of the time loop defies conventional expectations. Rather than presenting it as a puzzle to be solved, she frames it as a condition to be navigated—an allegory for the human experience. Who hasn’t felt trapped in routine, struggling to find meaning in repetition? Tara’s journey is a reminder that even within the constraints of time, there is room for agency, creativity, and self-discovery.
The novel’s philosophical underpinnings are matched by its emotional resonance. Tara’s reflections on memory and identity are deeply moving, as are her efforts to find moments of surprise and joy within her fixed reality. Whether encountering an unexpected soccer match in Düsseldorf or noticing the shifting behavior of objects in her orbit, she demonstrates an enduring capacity for wonder.
As the series progresses, On the Calculation of Volume continues to challenge readers’ assumptions about time, relationships, and the boundaries of existence. It is a work that demands patience and attentiveness, rewarding those who are willing to delve into its intricate layers.
Solvej Balle’s septology is a triumph of literary imagination, offering a fresh and deeply philosophical take on a well-worn narrative trope. Through Tara Selter’s journey, Balle invites readers to reconsider their own relationship with time, memory, and the small moments that define a life. Far from being a mere exercise in repetition, On the Calculation of Volume is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the boundless possibilities of storytelling.
For anyone seeking a novel—or series—that challenges conventions and expands the boundaries of the time-loop genre, Balle’s work is an essential read. As Tara herself declares, “If I am to have a future, I will have to build it myself.” It is a sentiment that resonates not just within the confines of her story but in the larger narrative of what it means to live.
