''Doppler'' is a satirical novel by Norwegian author

Erlend Loe Erlend Loe (24 May 1969, Trondheim) is a Norwegian novelist, screenwriter and film critic. Loe writes both children's and adult literature. He has gained popularity in Scandinavia with his humorous and sometimes naïve novels, although his stori ...

. It was first published in 2004 in Norwegian where it was a 'barnstorming success', selling over 100,000 copies. It was translated into English in 2012 by Don Bartlett and Don Shaw with the tagline "An elk is for life ... not just for Christmas". It was identified by

Salley Vickers Salley Vickers (born 1948) is a British novelist whose works include ''Miss Garnet's Angel'', ''Mr. Golightly's Holiday'', ''The Other Side of You'' and ''Where Three Roads Meet'', a retelling of the Oedipus myth to Sigmund Freud in the last mon ...

in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' as one of her books of the year, 'wonderfully subversive, funny and original'.

Plot introduction

Following the death of his father and after falling off his bike, Doppler decides to abandon his home in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, job, children and pregnant wife and live a solitary life in a tent in the forest just outside the city. He kills a

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

('elk' in British English) for food but then discovers it has a young calf which he adopts, names Bongo and with whom he discusses the state of the world he has left behind, with its consumerism and focus on personal success. Doppler determines to live a life as far as possible removed from his previous life but finds it impossible to escape entirely, resorting to bartering and even theft to meet his needs. His existence gains much unwanted attention and he struggles to maintain his isolation.

References

2004 Norwegian novels 21st-century Norwegian novels Books by Erlend Loe Novels set in Oslo Philosophical novels Satirical novels Novels about midlife crisis {{2000s-satirical-novel-stub