Book review: The Castle in the Pyrenees
Jostein Gaarder’s latest novel of love and ideas is as touching as it is thought-provoking.
In true Gaarder tradition, The Castle in the Pyrenees interweaves musings on love, science and philosophy in a deeply poignant romantic tale that explores the place of human consciousness in the universe.
As reckless 20 year olds, Steinn and Solrunn were in love. Now, after 30 years of silence, they meet by chance on the balcony of an old wooden hotel amongst the iridescent glaciers and fjords of western Norway.
Though both are now married and living their own separate lives, their tenderness for each other and the intensity of their shared past draws them together, and they rekindle their connection through email.
Over the next few days their tentative exchange quickly tumbles into a sprawling, lyrical discussion of the past, their differing views of reality and the universe, and the memories that both bind them together and push them apart.
This is a story of two people rediscovering each other. Steinn and Solrunn exist on opposite poles: Steinn is resolutely atheist, a lover of science and logic, while Solrunn yearns for an understanding of the world beyond what we can see, touch and know for definite.
The first half of the novel meanders though their musings on life and the cosmos, debates between science and spirituality, and bittersweet memories of their days of reckless passion, adventure, and voracity for life. But the pace gradually builds, and the reader is pulled deep into the compelling heart of the story as Steinn and Solrunn tumble towards a reconciliation with the event that ultimately tore them apart.
They promise to delete all traces of their correspondence from both ends, which invites us into the secrecy of their exchange. Because their words are ephemeral, there is a unique freedom and fluidity in their conversation, a sense of two people reaching across time and space and sharing in something separate from the world around them.
The lyrical fusion of love story, mystery and philosophical meditation is exactly what you’d expect from the author of Sophie’s World, the introduction-to-philosophy novel that became an international bestseller, with over 30 million copies in 55 languages. This is Gaarder doing what Gaarder does best: making philosophy relevant, accessible and engaging to a mainstream audience.
Like all of his earlier novels, including The Solitaire Mystery, Maya and The Ringmaster’s Daughter, this story is grounded in a philosophical conundrum, and Gaarder engages the reader in a thought-provoking discussion about the universe and reality.
While the questions he poses are challenging, Gaarder’s unique skill is his ability to make a book of complex ideas remarkably easy to read. The text flows effortlessly; he taps into essential human questions and problems that have probably always been lurking in the depths of most readers’ minds, but that have never surfaced.
The Castle in the Pyrenees achieves the perfect balance between an intellectual challenge and an enjoyable, indulgent read for a quiet night alone.
