Just read: “The Woman in the Dunes” (Abe)

A man goes in search of undiscovered sand beetles and ends up captive in a dune-bound house where his only task is to help the owner shovel sand into buckets to be removed from the dune-bottom.

This is a semi-surreal existentialist novel is generally about the search for meaning in our work (both independent and collective) and how it relates to our sense of belonging. But it also provides a propulsive plot and an interesting scenario, along with some information about sand and beetles. Needless to say, a lot is packed into this fairly short and very strange novel. It presents both as utterly bizarre and unsettlingly familiar.

This novel was a breath of fresh air and has earned a spot among my favorites–next to “The Box Man.”