Who Would Like This Book:
This novel is an unforgettable deep dive into solitude, survival, and the human-animal bond. It's beautifully written, reflective, and quietly suspenseful as an unnamed woman confronts the end of her world and learns to live alongside her small animal family. Fans of thoughtful, character-driven stories, nature writing, and psychological exploration will be entranced - especially those who love contemplative, existential reads or are drawn to themes of isolation, resilience, and our place in nature.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If you crave fast-paced action, intricate plotting, or clear explanations, this book may frustrate you. Many readers found its slow pace, repetitive details of daily chores, and lack of resolution or backstory to be tiresome. It's light on big reveals and heavy on introspection - so if you need lots to 'happen' or want the mystery of the wall solved, this might leave you wanting more.
About:
'The Wall' by Marlen Haushofer is a post-apocalyptic novel that follows the story of an unnamed narrator who wakes up in a mountain hunting lodge to find herself trapped by an invisible wall that has cut her off from the rest of the world. With only a few animals for company, she learns to survive one day at a time, documenting her struggles, emotions, and daily activities in a journal-like format. The book is a quiet and contemplative exploration of isolation, survival, and the human experience in the face of extreme adversity.
The writing style of 'The Wall' is described as deeply profound, captivating, and emotionally engaging. The narrative unfolds in a monotonous yet compelling manner, with no chapters but a continuous flow of the protagonist's thoughts, reflections, and observations. Through the protagonist's interactions with nature, animals, and her own psyche, the book delves into themes of solitude, self-discovery, and the resilience of the human spirit in the midst of despair.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of isolation, mental health struggles, animal deaths, and references to a post-apocalyptic scenario.
From The Publisher:
"I can allow myself to write the truth; all the people for whom I have lied throughout my life are dead…" writes the heroine of Marlen Haushofer's The Wall, a quite ordinary, unnamed middle-aged woman who awakens to find she is the last living human being. Surmising her solitude is the result of a too successful military experiment, she begins the terrifying work of not only survival, but self-renewal. The Wall is at once a simple and moving talk - of potatoes and beans, of hoping for a calf, of counting matches, of forgetting the taste of sugar and the use of one's name - and a disturbing meditation on 20th century history.
Ratings (14)
Incredible (4) | |
Loved It (5) | |
Liked It (3) | |
It Was OK (1) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (37):
Read It (14) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (22) |
What can you read after
The Wall?
About the Author:
Marlen Haushofer was born on April 11, 1920 in Frauenstein, a region in Upper Austria. She attended Catholic boarding school in Linz, and studied German literature in Vienna and Graz. Her adult life was spent in Steyr, an old industrial city with a strong working class culture and a history of militancy. She died in 1970.Haushofer published the novella The Fifth Year in 1952 and earned her first literary award in 1953. Her first novel, A Handful of Life, was published in 1955. The Wall, published in 1962, is considered her greatest literary achievement. Variously interpreted as an ironic Robinson Crusoe story, a philosophical parable of human isolation, and as dystopian fiction, The Wall is currently recognized for its important place in traditions of feminist fiction. Haushofers's last novel, The Attic, was published in 1969. Her last short story collection, Terrible Faithfulness, brought her the Austrian state prize for literature. She has been translated into several European languages. The Wall is Haushofer's only work available in English.
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