Rachel Reviews: The Spiral Archive by Pieter Hendrik

It's difficult for me to know where to start with a review of this book as it was, for me, an entirely unique experience and one that I'll probably never have again. I don't want that to be interpreted as unenjoyable but it has left me scratching my head a little and ruminating on its content, its themes and its characters.

The opening action of the book takes us right into what is at its heart: there are texts which tell stories and which need to be preserved/conserved somehow because of their importance to the people of the place in which they're found. These are recognisable as fairytales from Andersen and Grimm to name two. Someone, however, is working to counteract what the stories contain or propose for their own narrative purpose. This is not just about the words on the page but is concerned with spirals which are particular marks made by individuals, which can lead the meaning or interpretation, and skew the purpose, of the text on which they're placed. They are also code used by those reading and sharing these manuscripts for messages to be communicated.

If that sounds mysterious, that's because it is at this stage and only by degrees is your understanding of the importance of these spirals revealed as your reading of the book progresses.

The main characters of the book are Lenka, Tomasz and, in part, Mirela. And this is where it gets difficult for me to expand on exactly what is going on in the book as it's never explicitly explained. Again, this isn't a criticism as I think that it's part of its charm, this being led by Hendrik but not really clear where, as it works with the idea of the spirals and what they represent, so it feels like you're in a spiral dialogue yourself almost, like the text you're reading is a reflection of the meaning of the text you're reading, if that makes sense.

It's a very tricky book to review because it has merit but it also has mystery and at times, I felt like its depth was unfathomable to me, like it was working on another philosophical level. That being said, it has tension, from its setting and the hopes of its characters, and it's well-written with purpose, and dialogue which sculpts the characters into individuals who, as a reader, you want to see thrive.

Rachel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC: