"But I have a talent, a wonderful thing"

For discussion of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel Lilla Stjärna
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gattoparde59
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"But I have a talent, a wonderful thing"

Post by gattoparde59 » Mon Jun 24, 2013 10:38 am

Reading through Little Star a second time and I find myself coming back to the very beginning of the story, when Lennart finds a baby in a hole in the woods. This is a very striking passage I remember from the first time I read the novel. It seemed important to me, but I really couldn't say why. Lennart describes his feelings about the foundling and he compares what he is feeling to cocaine:
He had once tried cocaine, towards the end of the ‘70s. A fashionable rock band had offered, and he had accepted. One line and that was it, had never done it again- because it had been fantastic. Too fantastic.

We are always in a certain amount of pain. There is chafing somewhere, and if it isn’t in our body, then it’s in our mind. There’s an itch, all the time. The cocaine took it away. His body became a receptacle made of velvet, and within that receptacle there were only crystal clear thoughts. The mists had lifted, and life was wonderful. Afterwords, realizing that striving to regain this feeling could become his life’s work, Lennart refrained from taking cocaine again.

As he sat here now with his hands resting on the wheel, he felt something similar. There was a stillness in him, the forest was glowing with autumn colours, and a great being was holding its breath and waiting his decision.


Now I suppose that what Lennart is feeling could be the elation brought on by the possibilities presented to him by a tiny singing prodigy. Yes, it could be that. It also occurs to me that Lennart is experiencing the extraordinary, even supernatural power of the child's singing voice. Through out the novel, every character comments on the extraordinary power of Theres' singing voice, and later her speaking voice as well. It is described as "soporific" and hypnotic. It's the effect of a powerful psychoactive drug. Just like narcotics, Theres' singing is especially appealing to very unhappy people. People like Lennart, people like Jerry, people like Teresa, people like all those lost girls that are drawn to Theres.

This only occurred to me after I finished re-reading, so I did not make special note of every passage where somebody experiences Theres, but there is a great scene towards the end. After experiencing a tremendous high after their "Pack" weekend at the lake, Teresa and all of the other girls come crashing down into terrible depression and fear. Then they all meet up again with Theres at the zoo and she soothes their troubled minds by singing to them and with them:
Theres sang the song all the way through, the others helped out in the choruses, and the music was like morphine. The pain in their bodies eased, flowed out through the notes, and as long as the song went on there was nothing to fear.
I suppose it could be argued that what the characters in the novel experience is the physiological effects of a nice pop anthem. Plenty of troubled adolescents obsess over their favorite musicians. But then I have to come back to Lennart at the very beginning. All he hears is a baby singing one perfect "E" and that does it for him. Theres is no ordinary child, and her voice has supernatural powers.

I'll break open the story and tell you what is there. Then, like the others that have fallen out onto the sand, I will finish with it, and the wind will take it away.

Nisa

Opeth
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Re: "But I have a talent, a wonderful thing"

Post by Opeth » Wed Jul 03, 2013 5:58 am

gattoparde59 wrote: This only occurred to me after I finished re-reading, so I did not make special note of every passage where somebody experiences Theres, but there is a great scene towards the end. After experiencing a tremendous high after their "Pack" weekend at the lake, Teresa and all of the other girls come crashing down into terrible depression and fear.


I think that they start to crash and burn only a few hours after they murder Max as the sky begins to lighten. I could be wrong though or maybe it is after the burials or when they return to their other "families". Actually the latter sounds more likely, there are still many things I'm unsure of. When I re-read it there were a lot of things I picked up on and I think that there are still some subtle layers and pieces that I missed.
gattoparde59 wrote: I suppose it could be argued that what the characters in the novel experience is the physiological effects of a nice pop anthem. Plenty of troubled adolescents obsess over their favorite musicians. But then I have to come back to Lennart at the very beginning. All he hears is a baby singing one perfect "E" and that does it for him. Theres is no ordinary child, and her voice has supernatural powers.
Sure, it could be argued but I think that she was hitting perfect notes every time, that's the way it comes across with all of the descriptions. Isn't she described as almost singing or rhyming when speaking? One thing that I think is strange is that I don't think it's ever said how she phrases her words when she sings, but I guess its not that important. What I can't decide is whether she was able to produce those perfect notes and had that mesmerizing quality about her before she was placed in that grave.

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