The Physics of Sorrow
by Georgi Gospodinov, translated from the Bulgarian by Angela Rodel (Open Letter, 270 pages)
Gospodinov's latest creation is so kaleidoscopic, so brilliantly
varied and nearly out-of-control, that I don't even know where to
begin.
Maybe
I should start with the Minotaur. You know, that half-bull-half-human
from Greek myth that was condemned to wander around in a labyrinth
until he was killed by Theseus? Yes, that
Minotaur. Gospodinov takes this story and teases out several of its
key themes, including abandonment, loneliness, and confusion over
identity. With these tools, he tries to analyze the events of his own
life, as well as his father's and grandfather's. At one point,
Gospodinov tells the story of when his grandfather was "accidentally"
abandoned at a mill- times were difficult in Bulgaria during WWI, and
his family was starving. When one of the grandfather's sisters
realized that they were missing little Georgi, his mother hesitated,
considering all of the mouths she needed to feed. Ultimately, the
sister ran back to get him, but the Georgi who narrates Physics
of Sorrow
imagines what it must have felt like during those few hours to feel
completely alone and abandoned by one's family.
