Time Shelter - Georgi Gospodinov

In Time Shelter, an enigmatic flâneur named Gaustine opens a “clinic for the past” that offers a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s sufferers: each floor reproduces a decade in minute detail, transporting patients back in time. As Gaustine’s assistant, the unnamed narrator is tasked with collecting the flotsam and jetsam of the past, from 1960s furniture and 1940s shirt buttons to scents and even afternoon light. But as the rooms become more convincing, an increasing number of healthy people seek out the clinic as a “time shelter”—a development that results in an unexpected conundrum when the past begins to invade the present. Intricately crafted, and eloquently translated by Angela Rodel, Time Shelter announces Gospodinov to American readers as an essential voice in international literature. (link)

Review: 3/5

“On the other hand, if there had been someone who loved him, this meant that he had existed after all, even if he doesn’t remember much of himself.” (Page 61).

The beginning of this book was as described in the synopsis; a man becomes obsessed with the idea of creating “time shelters” where patients who have dementia or Alzheimer's can find a safe space in a time-period they find comfort in. The reason I picked up this book was because I think the idea of a room, building, town, city, or state being stuck in a “different” time is so interesting. It kind of relates to a cultural difference in technology, where in the 80s, America believed Africa to be “behind” technologically and so extremely underdeveloped. It shocks me how many Americans still believe this to be true for the entire continent of Africa. Also… Africa is a continent, not one country (just FYI).

I know I’ve said this before, but I am really thankful for the time that I spent in Europe, not only for the culture that I was surrounded by, the history I was surrounded by, but also for the literature that I was able to delve so deeply into. I believe I was able to appreciate the literature more while abroad because I was in a space that propped up growth and heavily encouraged it.

I found this book at Waterstones, I looked at the cover hard and long and I said “hell yeah I’m gonna read that this year.” Soon after, tragedy struck, and my Kindle disconnected from the Wi-Fi and the Kindle app on my phone - and because I was doing an exchange on a university campus, my Kindle wouldn’t let me connect the campus Wi-Fi as a homebase. I was having Kindle withdrawals. (For reference, I refuse to speak to any kind of IT because I feel like a neanderthal when I do.) So I took a few weeks sabbatical from my passion project, this website, and I decided to get some paper books that I could read for my own enjoyment and not necessarily with the intention of writing a review.

The idea of culture, and time within culture, is extremely interesting to me. I think a lot of people within my generation and other generations wish that we could all go back to a simpler time. We all know from the obsession with time-travel, that the act of it is inherently corrupt and selfish (at this point, what isn’t?) I love this book as it shows the natural progression of most things; the idea of the time shelter started off innocent, and beneficial for people with ailing health. Soon, the idea becomes corrupted and beneficial to the government… Although this is an extremely dramatized tale, I believe it’s extremely topical and relevant. Although I’ve never read it, it kind of gives me Animal Farm (by George Orwell) vibes.

It’s just human nature to ruin things that are innocent and benevolent. I really enjoy the aspect of innocence being ruined by human nature because it is so frustrating, but it is so real and relevant to the lives that we live every day,

I also learned a LOT about Bulgarian culture and history through this book. I wasn’t familiar with any Bulgarian history, but this launched me into a learning lane that I was happy to be in. I don’t know anything about the communist histories of these cultures, and I didn’t know anything about most European history besides what America is involved in (WWII and American Independence). I only knew about Henry the 8th from the time I spent in school in England. BLAME THE AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. That being said, I’m fully aware this is fictional, but the way it’s written is so realistic, I had a hard time differentiating fact from fiction. But this was exciting for me, so this is a plus!

This book was a difficult to read lesson of the inevitable corruption of innocence, how it can be utilized and how it can be abused. I adored the way that this was written. It was fun to puzzle out what time period the writing was set in, and I couldn't tell how old the main character was, which I hoped was an intentional metaphor for no one really feeling their age. It was really interesting to me to take those physiological characteristics out of it and just focus on the history and the abuse of it. I really highly recommend this book, as tough as it was for me to get through.

Also, this book was a translation from Bulgarian to English, which intrigued me more. I can’t imagine how beautifully written this is in its original language.

This playlist is inspired by music that SOUNDS like it's from a different time, maybe even a little nostalgic; but it's modern. Because isn't that the entire premise of this book?

Spotify: LINK