On the Calculation of VolumeOn the Calculation of Volume
Score Modern
What it's about
A woman no longer expects to wake up to the 19th of November, and no longer remembers the 17th as if it were yesterday. She wakes every morning to the same day, knowing its shape by heart: the gray morning light in her Paris hotel, a blackbird's song, her husband's surprise when she comes home unannounced. Solvej Balle's novel explores what it means to live outside time.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the International Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It's a hypnotic, philosophical novel.
You'll love it if you liked
Life After Life
A Short Stay in Hell
The Midnight LibraryGood to know
It's the first volume of a series, translated from Danish. It's quiet and meditative.
By the numbers
- Readers20 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics45 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller25 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz72 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #179 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #262 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #968 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1787 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Thought-provoking, Moving
If you like this, read next
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Cloud Atlas
Station Eleven
Exhalation
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Cloud Cuckoo LandExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is On the Calculation of Volume worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the International Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It ranks #1,787 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is On the Calculation of Volume about?
A woman no longer expects to wake up to the 19th of November, and no longer remembers the 17th as if it were yesterday. She wakes every morning to the same day, knowing its shape by heart: the gray morning light in her Paris hotel, a blackbird's song, her husband's surprise when she comes home unannounced. Solvej Balle's novel explores what it means to live outside time.
How long does it take to read On the Calculation of Volume?
About 4 hours (160 pages), or about 8 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after On the Calculation of Volume?
If you liked it, try Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck or The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.