On the Calculation of Volume I

Paperback Published on: 10/04/2025
Price: £12.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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On the Calculation of Volume I
Ground hog day premise
On the calculation of volume 1 is an extraordinary novel following Tara as she revisits the 18th of November day after day. I’ve never been so enthrall... READ MORE
Lauren at Birmingham
On the Calculation of Volume I
International Booker 2025 long list.
Tara wakes up in a Paris hotel and goes out to buy rare books for her business on 18th November ,goes out ,buys rare books for her business. Meets a friend... READ MORE
ENEFCEE 1956
On the Calculation of Volume I
Thought provoking
It’s been a while since I’ve read what I feel is a pretty original book! Tara has woken up to 18th November for the 121st time! The day constantly repeats ... READ MORE
Rita. IG: @iamritasedani
On the Calculation of Volume I
A quiet, thoughtful, haunting piece
After a pleasant but not particularly remarkable day, Tara Selter finds herself stuck on the same day, 18 November, with no obvious way out. In each instan... READ MORE
Selena, Guildford
On the Calculation of Volume I
That familiar feeling..
It is easy to oversimplify this book and project. A Groundhog Day- esque plot, about a woman who for reasons unknown is condemned to experience interminabl... READ MORE
Edward Woods
On the Calculation of Volume I
Time becomes a liminal space…
This Booker Prize shortlister did not disappoint and easily deserves upwards of five stars. From the moment I opened the first page, I was catapulted in... READ MORE
Olivia at Newcastle
On the Calculation of Volume I
Rich, Unique and Full of Ideas
A beautiful and unique book, a mystery full of many meanings and rich in evokative details. It is a story about many things - time, memory, love, routine, ... READ MORE
Jesse Voth
On the Calculation of Volume I
Very compelling start to a series
You might think a book where the protagonist repeats the eighteenth of November every single day forevermore might be repetitive, and it is, but surprising... READ MORE
Bella at Canterbury
On the Calculation of Volume I
Reveals poetic aspects of the mundane just beneath the surface
What an unexpectedly pleasant surprise this book was! One of my top reads for 2025 for sure. Balle writes in a controlled way with stunning and poignant ob... READ MORE
Zhan - Trafford Centre
On the Calculation of Volume I
A must read, and most worthy Booker shortlistee
This is such a mesmerising book. One that you fall completely into, are absorbed by — or it absorbs you. Such is the writing that you absolutely do feel a ... READ MORE
Phill - Waterstones Bookseller
On the Calculation of Volume I
So much more than "Groundhog Day Revisited"
A relatively simple construct: You wake up, and appear to be the only person who knows this day has already happened - is used to explore so much of the hu... READ MORE
Valerie at Darlington

Synopsis

'It seems so odd to me now, how one can be so unsettled by the improbable. When we know that our entire existence is founded on freak occurrences and improbable coincidences. That we wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for these curious twists of fate.'

The first volume of the poetic, page-turning masterpiece about one woman's fall through the cracks of time.

Tara Selter has slipped out of time.

Every morning, she wakes up to the 18th of November. She no longer expects to wake up to the 19th of November, and she no longer remembers the 17th of November as if it were yesterday.

She comes to know the shape of the day like the back of her hand - the grey morning light in her Paris hotel; the moment a blackbird breaks into song; her husband's surprise at seeing her return home unannounced. But for everyone around her, this day is lived for the first and only time. They do not remember the other 18ths of November, and they do not believe her when she tries to explain.

As Tara approaches her 365th 18th of November, she can't shake the feeling that somewhere underneath the surface of this day, there's a way to escape.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Faber & Faber
  • ISBN: 9780571383375
  • Number of pages: 192
  • Dimensions: 216 x 135 mm
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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On the Calculation of Volume I
A study of living in the world
Acclaimed in her native Denmark and beyond, Solvej Balle’s septology On the Calculation of Volume is now being translated into English by long-time collabo... READ MORE
Anne O'Connell
On the Calculation of Volume I
A clever and quirky read
On the Calculation of Volume I is a novel that lingers in the mind long after the last page. Told from the perspective of Tara Selter, an antiquarian b... READ MORE
Georgina (ReadsEatsExplores)
On the Calculation of Volume I
I’m hooked!
On the Calculation of Volume I is the literary version of Groundhog Day, translated from Danish but set in France. Rare bookseller Tara Selter keeps re-li... READ MORE
Verity Halliday
On the Calculation of Volume I
Very far from just another Groundhog Day
Solvej Balle’s 4-7 volume set will certainly be one to pursue through, on the basis of this first volume. Danish writers are not often quickly translated i... READ MORE
Lady Fancifull
On the Calculation of Volume I
A book of days...
...or a book of just one day, the eighteenth of November, specifically. Although, the eighteenth of November can be experienced in countless different ways... READ MORE
Andrew Hammond
On the Calculation of Volume I
Unimaginative and, regretfully, Unenjoyable
With honesty, I have to say that I am bewildered by this book's positive reception. Disclaimer: I truly read about 50% of this book, and then skimmed the l... READ MORE
lou
On the Calculation of Volume I
Bleak, satisfying, and beautifully written
A suffocating, panic-inducing yet perfectly controlled book, as Tara Selter is stuck on the same dreary winter day and is living the same things over and o... READ MORE
Sarah Wood
On the Calculation of Volume I
Thought provoking
It’s the 18th of November, and Tara Setter wakes yet again to the same day, every morning it’s precisely the same and so she no longer expects to get to th... READ MORE
Celia Short
On the Calculation of Volume I
Addictive!
Thank you to the publishers for this review copy. I remember all the buzz around it when it was listed for the Booker International and so many people wer... READ MORE
Fiona Sharp
On the Calculation of Volume I
A virtuoso riff on the timeslip novel
I’ve been debating on whether or not to review this, the first in a literary time travel trilogy, but it is very, very good, so her I go. In the familiar r... READ MORE
Huttson Lo
On the Calculation of Volume I
A compelling read
Now shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, this is the first novella in a series of seven. Tara finds herself outside of time as everyone else exp... READ MORE
Mrs G Librarian
On the Calculation of Volume I
Falling toast
A novel (series of books really) that shows how everyday can be the same but that there is free will even in a world that pretends otherwise for Tara to ma... READ MORE
Ian Jones
On the Calculation of Volume I
Unlike anything I have read before
The title didn't immediately catch my attention, but after having heard the author talk in Brussels I was intrigued. The main character gets stuck in time ... READ MORE
Maud Haugland
On the Calculation of Volume I
DNF
Underwhelming & boring - maybe that’s the author’s point and they are challenging us to see if we are prepared to waste so much of our lives reading it.At ... READ MORE
Muddy Paws