Sven Holm (1940–2019)

Termush is a science fiction novel from the 1970s, translated from the original Danish. The premise is one that was quite popular at the time and having something of a revival today -- what happens to the survivors after a calamitous event wipes out most of society. Termush's narrator is one of a group of wealthy people who have bought themselves a place in a somewhat remote luxury hotel to wait out the aftermath. They are provided with fancy meals, medical care, and even recreation and outings. But the outside world keeps intruding, both in the form of physical refugees from the disaster and the mental effects on the wealthy guests themselves.

I am not generally a science fiction reader, but this short novel was well-reviewed so I picked it up. The themes are certainly as relevant today as they were when the book was first written, unfortunately. Our planet is still threatened by human activity, and we are still plagued by the class issues that drive the actions of the hotel guests. Author Sven Holm chooses to avoid describing specifics of what is happening, much as his characters would prefer to ignore the specifics of their situation. But he expertly implies the unease, desperation and threats that lie behind the bland day-to-day events. Reading the book is somewhat like being trapped at the Overlook Hotel during the Apocalypse, but Holm chooses to emphasize the atmosphere rather than go for the supernatural. I have found myself thinking of this book several times since I finished it, despite its brief length and simple story.… (mehr)

3/5

Termush tells the story of what happens after an unspecified nuclear disaster. It's a great premise, and the way events unfolds feels more or less believable, but there is something about it that doesn't quite work for me.

First, though, the positives. As I said above, the events feel vaguely plausible, and Holm skillfully and thoughtfully shows an individual (and a community's) response to a nuclear apocalypse without being too direct or forceful about what he's trying to say. The events of the book make you, along with the characters, reflect on fear and change and the desire for the familiar and comfortable in a changing world.

So why only 3/5? The book is written in quite a cold, remote style that befits the events and the mood the author was going for. While it seems like a deliberate style choice, the prose makes everything about the book feel washed out and flat. In addition to preventing you from connecting with the characters, it also deadens the impact of the story and the messages it's trying to pass on. I think there's a better version of this story that *could* have been written - possibly one where you're shown more of the characters, setting and emotions early on, before paranoia and the consequences of the apocalypse truly set in.

This edition is accompanied by a short introduction, which (as with most similar pieces) is best read at the end to avoid spoilers. This one was rather complicated, but did point out that some of J.G. Ballard's works are decent comparison titles for Termush - something with which I agree.

On the whole this was a good book - especially for those who like dystopias and subtle storytelling. Recommended with reservations.

Finally, thank you to Netgalley and Faber, who kindly provided an ARC of Termush in return for an honest review.… (mehr)

According to the forward of this short novel, it is both a realistic chronicle of society's collapse and a surreal journey of a man confronted by crisis. Set in the aftermath of a nuclear war, it delves into the psychology of the holed up survivors as they face the hazards of societal breakdown.

As the novel opens, the first person narrator is living in a hotel with other guests, all of whom have paid dearly to be taken care of at this isolated facility in the event of a nuclear war and its aftermath. Management takes care of them, and gourmet meals and all creature comforts are provided. If radiation levels get too high, the guests are conveyed to basement shelters to remain until safer radiation levels return. If possible, outings are sometimes arranged, so the guests don't get too bored.

Then, the outside world begins intruding. "The day we came up from the shelter, four people were found dead on the steps of the hotel." Soon, people from the outside world begin arriving at the hotel in larger numbers, many of them suffering from radiation sickness. Management and some of the guests want to help them, but many guests do not. Chaos and confusion reign.

I used to read a lot of nuclear war/post-apocalyptic novels back in my teens, early 20's, a kind of guilty reading pleasure, if you will. This is one I missed back then. (It's Danish, I believe, so maybe it wasn't even translated). Many of the books I used to read back then focused on the nitty-gritty details of survival. This one was a bit more philosophical. I can remember back in the day the drills in schools in the US to shelter under your desk in the event of a nuclear attack, which seems so quaint and naive now, and to a certain extent I guess I view these types of books the same way as I now view the shelter-under-your-desk exercise: I don't think surviving a nuclear war is possible, and why would anyone want to survive anyway?

Still, for what it is this was a good read.

3 stars… (mehr)