Customer Reviews

Borderliners

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

(First off, if you haven't already, please don't read the Amazon.com main review/synopsis above -- the synopsis really upsets me by giving away a few absolutely crucial surprises and plot points. Aghgh!)

"Borderliners" is a gorgeous book -- at times a difficult read, but it's one of my all-time favorites. It's a hugely rewarding book in spite of its occasional dryness, although I should warn you that it's not nearly as accessible or humorous as Hoeg's wonderful "Smilla's Sense of Snow" (which partnered a tough-talking, misanthropic and brilliant Greenlandic woman against a mystery she was compelled to solve against overwhelming odds).

However, what "Borderliners" does, and does well, is bring back the here-and-now feelings of adolescence, the longings and fears, the ways in which everything feels more important than it ever will again. "Smilla" may have been laugh-out-loud funny on occasion, but there's nothing funny about a rocky adolescence, a fact Hoeg's characters know all too well. They're intense, intelligent, and pragmatic even in the face of feeling that now is all that matters. (At one lovely and memorable moment, for instance, a character remembers, "That kiss was everything - it was everything.") Ironically, Hoeg's characters in the novel aren't imagining things and do actually uncover some diabolical secrets in the midst of a harsh boarding school and all the adolescent angst, and the school's secrets are too dark and too clever to bring up here.

"Borderliners" is about survivors, adolescence, the urge for survival, and the concept of time. The novel makes a case for the fact that our minds make time travel possible through a simple act of will -- that because the past won't let us go, we can't let go of it, either -- and he means that literally. There are surprises, both moving and sad, that arrive in the book's final chapters, and which still stun me when I look back.

I highly recommend "Borderliners" for anyone seeking a literate and intelligent book off the beaten path, and which mixes ideas from Einstein and Darwin as freely as it mixes metaphors. It's an unforgettable and strange story, beautifully told, and hard to forget.

Danish author Peter Hoeg established himself with the masterful "History of Danish Dreams," a surreal, funny, haunting story that tweaked the boundaries of the real world. "Borderliners" is a bit like that, but starkly real and not very funny at all. it's haunting, surreal, and quite disturbing. Hoeg did a fantastic job with this.

They are the "borderliners": Children who don't fit in, be it for not being smart enough, for having difficulties with others, or just failing to slip into the slots that society has for them. Fourteen-year-old Peter has been in institutions of one sort or another all his life, partly because of his lack of "normality," and is now going to the creepy Biehl's Academy where the "borderline" children mingle with the privileged kids, in obsessively strict surroundings.

There, Peter encounters the wise orphan Katarina, who saw her parents both die -- her mother of cancer, stretching out every second of the last months of her life, and her grieving father, who tried to speed time up. And there's August, a strangely sinister child who harbors a dark secret in his past. The three grow closer, Peter falls for Katarina, and they begin struggling to break free of the strange experiments in social Darwinism being performed at the school.

Given the name of the lead character -- Peter Hoeg -- I can only assume that this is at least partly autobiographical. That may be why the book is so moving and personal-feeling. Like "Danish Dreams," this book contains a lot of surreal philosophy about time, about how people try to either use or avoid the passage of time. This occasionally stops the book dead, but if you can handle that then it won't be a problem.

The book is haunting and eerie, almost dreamlike. Hoeg doesn't overburden the story with too much detail. For example, when Peter and Katarina kiss for the first time, he doesn't describe it -- instead he describes the impact it has on Peter. And the dialogue is just as haunting: "What about the darkness inside people?" "The light will disperse it." "There's not that much light in the entire world."

I could tell that Peter comes from Hoeg's heart, because he's so vivid in his feelings and responses. Katarina is incredibly smart and cool-headed, with thoughts beyond her years; August is both appealing and frightening, since he can be lost or violent at any given time. The supporting characters are all vivid and well-drawn, whether they are bad or good. The Academy itself has an aura of almost horrific control, an amazingly well-written place.

Peter Hoeg is a master storyteller, and "Borderliners" is a book that stuck in my mind for days after I had read it. A creepy, beautifully-told story with wonderful characters.

Though I do not enjoy suspense-filled literature, I found Borderliners to be extremely interesting, and I literally couldn't put it down. With every page, my mind was ever more focused on the characters' plans and thoughts. Being that I was a 14-year-old attending a private school while I was reading the book, the characters seemed real to me, like people I knew. They weren't flat, and one-dimensional, but complex. The author, Peter Hoeg, did not reveal every thought. The reader can discover things by herself. The anger, remorse, and joy radiated from the actions and dialogue of Peter, Katarina, and August. The characters and setting told the story, not lengthy narrative. The plot was confusing at times, given that Mr. Hoeg intertwined flashbacks with historical tidbits, but once one gets into it, one realizes we are not SUPPOSED to know everything. That is what gives the book its real feeling. We do not know everything that is happening in our lives, either. With all of the twists and turns in the book, the disturbing images, the makeshift families, and the watchful eyes of the superiors, this book makes a wonderful weekend read for anybody, whether they are in or out of school.

The writing of the great Danish novelist Peter Høeg is beyond genre classification, although this novel and Smilla's Sense Of Snow could best be described as a cross between an Ingmar Bergman screenplay and a Stephen King novel. Borderliners is a dark, semiautobiographical novel about Peter, a 13-year-old boy attending a boarding school for troubled students in Copenhagen. In a dreary atmosphere of hopelessness, strictly enforced regulations and corporal punishments, Peter befriends two very opposite fellow students: the older, sophisticated loner Katarina and a timid little boy named August. Something strange is going on, but Peter can't figure it out. Why would a school that prides itself on order accept a student like August - a schizophrenic who murdered his parents after suffering years of their abuse? "He is chaos." Katarina says. Peter soon uncovers a terrifying, Orwellian experiment in behavior modification being run by school administrators. And we Americans thought our schools were bad for stoning our kids out on drugs like Ritalin! Peter Høeg's book is a must-read for anyone who likes great literature. His prose is dark and lushly poetic. You will never forget Borderliners!

It is obvious that Peter Hoeg has done a lot of research. It is
equally obvious that he has put a great deal of thought, effort
and Time into this book.

Unfortunately he has put so much into this book that the various
elements are crammed against each other like too many passengers
in a too small elevator. Superficially, the book focuses on
three disadvantaged children in a private school who begin to
suspect that they are the victims of a mysterious plot. The
story describes how they attempt to rebel against the authority
of the school and what they eventually discover. Along the way
we are given insights into the feelings of children who are on
the borderline between acceptance and rejection by society.

All well and good, and this could have been a quite good story if
the main plot had been developed adequately.

Sadly, it was not. Instead the author chose to use his tale as a
framework for some incredibly tedious exposition abut the nature
of Time and how we perceive it.

The mysterious plot, the psychology of borderliners and the
nature of time were too large a crowd for too small an elevator
and the result was an unsatisfactory narration with an
inconclusive ending. Even the discovery and resolution of the
mysterious plot was a disappointment.

Above all else, a work of fiction bears the responsibility to
entertain. Learned discourses into the nature of time and space
are best relegated to other venues.

The most I can say for this book was that it was interesting in
parts, but overall a disappointment.

[...]

I chose this for my most recent book club selection, based on the synopsis, the high rating, and the fact that I'd seen and loved the movie Smilla's Sense of Snow.

I don't wish to belabor points already raised by so many reviewers before me, so I'll just comment on how I experienced it. To be candid, I didn't like it very much the first time (though I wouldn't have said it was bad). Because I had to lead the upcoming book club discussion, I read it again, and the second time through I really enjoyed it.

So what was the problem the first time? I think I did have expectations based on what I'd read "about" the book that caused me to be looking for things that weren't there. I think I thought it would be more of a thriller, and I also thought the adults and institutions would be more sinister. Instead, I think the book points out the sinister aspects of things that many of us are already familiar with to some extent. So it wasn't as shocking as I expected.

Another issue that discolored my initial read, was the structural combination of jumping chronologically, jumping to different settings/characters, and the sparse style. Hoeg doesn't use much detailed descriptions, and the flow seems to be mostly guided by the narrator's stream of consciousness. I felt confused much of the time - Who ARE these people? WHERE are we? WHEN are we? Yet, on the second read, I would not have changed any of these points. The sparse style is part of the beauty of this book. To paraphrase one of the characters, you have to listen to the pauses between Hoeg's words. What he doesn't say, his decisions on what to leave out, or leave to the reader's imagination, is just as important as what he does say.

The final problem, of course, is the discourses on the nature of time, which are strewn lightly throughout Parts 1 and 2, but seem to make up the bulk of Part 3. (There are three "Parts" total.) As others have said, at times these are interesting and seem pertinent, but often they are tedious, boring, and severely interrupt the flow of the story. The only excuse I can imagine for keeping them is that they are "true to the character".

Despite these difficulties, I have to rate this at 4 stars, which is high on my personal scale. During my second read, since I knew what to expect (or what not to expect) and I was no longer confuse, the many positive points of this novel came through. The book deals with a long list of topics which are relevant to our times. The characters are interesting and sympathetic. The style is beautiful in its apparent simplicity. I expect that, like many great works of art, each succeeding experience will reveal new depths.

I would recommend it, but note that it is not for everyone. Although I found it to be uplifting in the end, many of my fellow book club members found it to be too sad and depressing throughout. If you are looking solely for entertainment, you might skip this one. If you enjoy something that makes you think, definitely give this a chance!

"Borderliners" tells the story of three young adult Danish students: the narrator (and author stand-in) Peter who has been orphaned since birth, recently-orphaned Katarina, and August, who has killed both of his abusive parents. Peter has been the target of physical and sexual abuse from his foster families, from the other students in the various institutions he has lived in, and from the administration of these places. Their current school is called Biehl's, and Katarina begins to suspect there is something sinister going on. The plan eventually revealed is to take in "borderline" or troubled students and raise them up to the standard as the rest. When August cannot cope, despite everyone's efforts, tragedy strikes.

The only problem with this novel were the digressions into the nature of "time." Some were pertinent and tied in with the book's themes. Others, however, just seemed pretentious and pointless. Still, the book is worth a read.

Fourteen-year-old Peter Hoeg is a "misfit," a "borderliner" who doesn't fit in with what society deems his "normal" peers. Children like Peter require special "treatment" which can only be adequately rendered in special types of institutions where brutal stringencies are enforced. Thus, Peter spends much of his young life being shuffled from one orphanage to another. He ultimately winds up at the Biehl Academy, a monstrosity of an institution. There he becomes subjected to the harsh rules and regulations which outline the secret experimentations being conducted there--
all for his own good, mind you. At Biehl, Peter becomes involved with Katarina and August, two other "misfit borderliners" who are being guinea-pigged there under the guise of rehabilitation. Despite the academy's strict protocol, which forcefully discourages socialization among the three, Peter, Katarina, and August clandestinely form a tight-knit friendship which will defy the academy's administrators. Together, under the watchful, reprimanding eyes of their "captives," the three children embark on a strategic plan to escape the insufferable conditions in
which they live, only to meet up with an unexpected and
horrifying tragedy.

Hoeg's first novel, "Smilla's Sense of Snow," helped to underline my suspicions that this, too, would be a fantastic novel. And my hunch was right on target. "Borderliners" is another
beautifully-written Hoeg masterpiece!

It's only rare that a writer can so masterfully create on paper characters so believably real that it feels as if you've known them all your life. I could almost reach out and touch Hoeg's children as if they were sitting right here beside me. And never before have I been so poignantly touched by the emotional pains residing inside of a child's heart. Hoeg brilliantly illustrates the full gamut of emotions exerienced by the orphans--their pains and their struggles, their hopes and dreams. I actually cried at certain parts in the book.

It's obvious the amount of research Hoeg puts into his novels. While snow and ice set the theme for "Smilla's Sense of Snow," the subject of time prevails in "Borderliners." It mustn't be easy trying to weave such complex strands of non-fiction into the work of an "autobiographical" thriller, yet Hoeg blends the two genres quite amicably.

One complaint I have with this book, however, is Hoeg's incessant rambling in Part 3 about the concepts of time. Though his thoughtful discussions on linear and circular time is bound to titillate the interest of any fan of philosophy, I personally
think the book could have done without most of its discussion. But having said this, one must take into consideration that Hoeg's style of writing dictates overly-descriptive passages-- that's just the way he writes and you either like it or you don't.

This book is a must for anyone interested in the problems created by social reform and child abuse. "Borderliners" is an accurate depiction of what happens when meddling authorities attempt to control and manipulate human behavior. Two thumbs up for this outstanding book!

This book was one of the most complex I've read in years, and had my full attention on multiple levels -- the characters and their tribulations are poignant, but there is an underlying theme of the interweaving of space and time that comes out in the last chapters. I'll be reading this one again -- a rare event.

I am a psychotherapist who has worked with abused children and Adolescents. Borderliners has given them, and myself, a voice.

I Have had this book for years, and just read it for the third time. Hoeg writes as he describes a favorite author, "You have read what they have written, and it is like a friend reaching out to you" This was my experience with "Borderliners". A true rare gift, teaching the reader ways to experience the richness of life. Thank You.