From the Publisher
Reading Group Choices “Editors’ Pick” selection
Arts Fuse “Recommended Books of the Year” selection
Words Without Borders “Watchlist” selection
“[Moss] opens with the death of a renowned botanist, whose . . . hypnotic reflections and biographical recollections disavow the ‘botanist’s penetrating gaze’—its ‘classifications without real knowledge’—to arrive at a rejuvenating, anarchic conception of the natural world.” —Millions
“A powerful exercise in eco-fiction. . . . Modick’s writing, at its best, presents the ‘mossifcation’ of the mind, combining clinical observation with philosophical lyricism.” —Arts Fuse
“[Moss] taps into a host of humanitarian and ecological concerns, even as it reminds the reader of the complex web of connections humans dwell within.” —Words Without Borders
“A masterful examination of internal conflict, gratifying for readers inspired by ecofiction and literary theory. . . . Inner explorations transform into a Weltanschauung of epiphany and new understanding of love, death, and the natural world.” —Booklist
“A graceful, thought-provoking portrait of memory and mortality.” —Publishers Weekly
“Thoughtful and thought-provoking.” —Midwest Book Review
Publishers Weekly
06/22/2020
German novelist and translator Modick’s thoughtful English-language debut takes the form of a journal discovered after the death of a retired botanist. At a rundown cabin in Ammerland, Germany, the body of Lukas Ohlburg is found covered in moss, as is the interior of the lodge. His final project, a tract criticizing the scientific terminology of modern botany, remains unfinished, as his efforts were instead channeled into a journal in which he links the life cycle of moss with final reflections on his own life. Modick meanders through the short tale, moving quietly and meditatively through the details of Ohlburg’s memory: his father’s relentless efforts to stop the encroaching forest from reclaiming their property, his first sexual experiences, his friendship with his younger brother, and their family’s flight from the Nazi regime. After each topic, Ohlburg returns to the condition of the moss. Modick skimps on story, but he’s a skilled prose stylist, and in the capable hands of Herman he conjures a graceful, thought-provoking portrait of memory and mortality. “One could say that is always only pondering its own past,” Ohlburg’s journal reads. “Its present, however, is pure, humble beauty.” Though the book might not stay with readers, Modick’s insightful tale is pleasant while it lasts. (Aug.)
