First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

In the sixteenth century, Antinous Bellori, a boy of eleven, is lost in a dark forest and stumbles upon two glowing beings, one carrying a spear, the other a flaming torch… This event this decisive in Bellori’s life, and he thereafter devotes himself to the pursuit and study of angels, the intermediaries of the divine. Beginning in the Garden of Eden and soaring through to the present, A Time for Everything reimagines pivotal encounters between humans and anegls: the glow of the cherubim watching over Eden; the profound love between Cain and Abel despite their differences; Lot’s shame in Sodom; Noah’s isolation before the flood; Ezekiel tied to his bed, prophesying ferociously; the death of Christ; and the emergence of sensual, mischievous cherubs in the seventeenth century. Alighting upon these dramatic scenes – from the Bible and beyond – Knausgaard’s imagination takes flight: the result is a dazzling display of storytelling at its majestic spellbinding best. Incorporating and challenging tradition, legend, and the Apocrypha, these penetrating glimpses hazard chilling questions: can the nature of the divine undergo change, and can the immortal perish?

Happy Friday, everyone! Technically, it is already Saturday, but I am still grateful that we were all able to make it through the workweek! I hope everyone was able to end the workweek on a high note. I hope everyone was able to complete all their tasks and is jumping into the weekend without much worry. I hope everyone will have a restful weekend. It is time to let your hair down and wear comfortable clothes. Slow down and take a rest. I hope you spend it wisely, whether in completing your chores, spending time with your loved ones, or pursuing your passions. I hope the weekend is providing everyone a timely respite from the tediousness of life. I hope everyone will be rejuvenated and find peace amid this pandemonium. Thankfully, Monday is a holiday here in the Philippines, so we have a longer time to recuperate. Regardless, I hope everyone is doing well, in body, mind, and spirit.

With the workweek coming to an end, it is time for a fresh, and again, late First Impression Friday update. It has become a habit to post this weekender a day or two late. I just cannot pass up the opportunity of publishing one because this has become an essential component of my weekly book blogging. It allows me space to take a breather and process the book I am currently reading. In August, I continued my foray into the works of European writers, a literary journey I commenced in July. This pivot comes after spending the first half of the year reading the works of Asian writers, primarily East Asian writers. This literary journey is also critical in my 2025 reading journey because I have several books written by European writers in my reading challenges. I realized that I have been lagging behind in my reading challenges. However, my current read does not belong to any but it is an effort to expand my literary horizon.

I am not sure when I first encountered Karl Ove Knausgård. However, it was during the pandemic that I noticed that the Norwegian writer’s works are ubiquitous. This naturally piqued my interest. Last year, his latest translated novel, The Wolves of Eternity, was part of my 2024 Top 24 Reading List. It was my primer to his oeuvre. Now, in the midst of a European literary adventure, I decided to read A Time for Everything. Originally published in 2004 as En tid for alt, A Time for Everything is Knausgård’s second novel; it was originally published under the English title A Time to Every Purpose Under Heaven. I find it fascinating that the second Knausgård novel I read is his sophomore novel. Anyway, the novel first introduces Antinous Bellori, an eccentric sixteenth-century theologian who wrote On the Nature of Angels (1584). A melancholic figure, he has extensively studied angels.

Yes, the novel is about cherubims. I guess I should have guessed this from the book’s cover and the synopsis (which I tend to forget). From this anecdote, the story then traces the various interactions between angels and mankind over the course of history using a mixture of Biblical accounts and folklore. We meet the brothers  Cain and Abel from the Old Testament. It is a recreation of the Bible. Using his poetic license, Knausgård made it his own story, filling in the gaps that the Bible was not able to provide. In the first half of the novel, we read about their intertwining fates. It expanded the Biblical story by delving into the psychological facet of their relationship. I am halfway through the book, but the brother’s story has me on the edge of my seat. Biblical references are rife; after all, angels are prevalent in Biblical stories.

Apart from Cain and Abel, we also get to meet Noah as he was on the cusp of preparing for the flood. However, rather than us seeing him hammering away at his Ark, we meet him as he deals with the plight of the community. His story also deals with the backstory of his family. A third storyline involves Lot and Ezekiel. Each story provided a different dimension to the novel and its exploration of the presence and nature of angels. These different stories get reinterpreted by Knausgård, although it is palpable that he is tackling the nature of good and evil. He is also exploring the nature of the divine and the place it holds in our lives while confronting the authority that the scriptures hold. At least these are what I can surmise from the first half of the novel.

Yes, I am already midway through the book. It is getting more interesting as it also provides me with a different dimension of Knausgård’s prose. I have always felt that he has a different way of storytelling, and A Time for Everything underlines that. It is quite different from The Wolves of Eternity. Nevertheless, I find both books compelling reads. As the story moves forward – it is narrated by a third person – I expect more philosophical intersections. I can’t wait to see how Knausgård weaves it all together. How about you, fellow reader? What book or books have you read over the weekend? I hope you get to enjoy whatever you are reading right now. Happy weekend!