One of those books that sneaks up on you when you least expect it—'Orlanda' feels like stumbling upon a hidden gem in a dusty bookstore. I first heard about it through a literary podcast that kept raving about its surreal, almost dreamlike prose. The author is Jacqueline Harpman, a Belgian writer whose work blends psychological depth with fantastical elements. Her background as a psychoanalyst really seeps into the narrative, making 'Orlanda' this eerie, introspective journey that lingers long after you finish it.
I love how Harpman plays with identity and reality in the book—it’s like 'Orlando' by Virginia Woolf but with a darker, more modern twist. The way she writes about a woman waking up in a man’s body feels both poetic and unsettling. It’s not just a gender-swap trope; it digs into how we perform selfhood. If you’re into cerebral fiction that doesn’t spoon-feed answers, Harpman’s your go-to.