In Episode 110 of the Good Scribes Only Podcast, hosts Daniel Breyer and Jeremy Streich tackle A Shining by Jon Fosse, a minimalist and allegorical novel that leaves readers wrestling with questions of mortality, spirituality, and the limits of human understanding.
Written by the Nobel Prize-winning author of Septology, A Shining continues Fosse’s exploration of existential themes through sparse, poetic prose. But this time, he strips the narrative to its barest form—a man lost in a forest, confronting death and perhaps something beyond.
The story follows an old man who drives into a snowy forest, eventually finding himself stranded. As he wanders aimlessly through the dark, cold wilderness, he begins to hallucinate—a luminous white presence that may or may not be divine. The prose is fragmented and repetitive, mirroring the man’s deteriorating mental state as he approaches death.
“The brilliance of the miracles all around us—what are we actually able to see because we’re straddled with these brains?” Daniel reflects.
The novel showcases the limitations of the thinking mind. The old man’s inner monologue becomes increasingly desperate and incoherent as he tries to rationalize his situation. But no matter how hard he thinks, he cannot solve his predicament.
Jeremy sums it up:
“His brain is just a repetitive, problem-solving machine that accomplishes nothing. The mind wants to make sense of something that exists beyond sense.”
Fosse’s minimalist style highlights the futility of the human mind trying to grapple with experiences that transcend thought.
The “shining presence” that the old man encounters is never fully explained. At times, he perceives it as an angel, at others as some unknowable, luminous force. This ambiguity echoes themes from Septology, where Fosse’s characters grapple with spirituality and the search for God.
Daniel elaborates:
“Fosse’s writing often points toward the ineffable—things that can only be felt, not understood. The man’s struggle to interpret the shining presence reflects our own struggle to grasp the divine.”
The forest road symbolizes the end of life’s journey. As the man wanders deeper into the woods, his thoughts become increasingly fragmented, illustrating how the rational mind breaks down in the face of death.
“He’s not just lost in the forest—he’s lost in his own mind,” Jeremy notes. “The forest is a metaphor for the disintegration of his consciousness.”
Unlike Septology, which offers moments of profound clarity and beauty, A Shining remains cold and elusive, emphasizing the limitations of language and thought when confronting the unknown.
The hosts agree that A Shining is not meant to be a satisfying read in the traditional sense. The sparse prose and unresolved narrative are intentional, forcing readers to confront the idea that not all experiences can be neatly understood or explained.
Jeremy admits his frustration:
“It’s like the book is taunting you—trying to show you that words and thoughts are just illusions when it comes to real truth.”
Daniel adds that Fosse’s refusal to provide a clear resolution speaks to his broader worldview:
“The divine is not something you grasp. It’s something you experience, if only fleetingly.”
Despite—or perhaps because of—its minimalism, A Shining offers a compelling exploration of how we confront death and the possibility of something beyond. Fosse’s style may alienate some readers, but for those willing to engage with its themes, the novel provides a powerful meditation on the limits of thought and the possibility of transcendence.
“It’s about being willing to accept that some things can’t be understood, only experienced,” Daniel concludes.
For a deeper discussion on A Shining and how it compares to Jon Fosse’s broader body of work, tune in to Episode 110 of the Good Scribes Only Podcast.
