This novel is unique, it is a somewhat stream of consciousness tale, it is a tale of disconnection, both interpersonal and literary. This is Gospodinov's debut novel, and I found it to be witty, original, and wonderfully creative. In fact, as the reader, it felt as if I was in the inner mental workings of the writer's mind. A man struggles with impending divorce and his emotional world is reflected in the novel's character and his efforts to disconnect from unnatural writing. Sometimes I felt deeply moved, sometimes I laughed out loud, and sometimes I felt disturbed. Excellent read! ( )

Dieser Roman hat mich sehr begeisert. Der bulgarische Autor Gospodinov erzählt von der Scheidung des Protagonisten von seiner ehebrecherischen Frau. Die Form ist experimentell, hochgeradig selbstreferentiell, es wird nicht klassisch erzählt, im Sinne einer chronologischen Folge der Ereignisse. Dennoch oder eben deshalb macht es großen Spaß, den Roman zu lesen. Er zeichnet auch durch einen tollen Humor aus und schafft es, selbst den Klogang zum literarischen Sujet zu erheben. Die Sprache ist trotz der experimentellen Form eher einfach, stellenweise sehr poetisch und wunderschön. Viele Sätze, die man sich abschreiben und einrahmen möchte. "Ich ließ meine Augen Wolken grasen", notiert der Protagonist nach dem Blick aus dem Flugzeugfenster.
Eine klare Empfehlung für alle, die experimentelle Literatur schätzen! ( )

The novel has a fragmented structure, that I struggled to engage with. The novel is short and the chapters are also short; some chapters took the narrative forward, others discuss ideas and thoughts that it can be difficult to relate to the narrative. Some interesting insights, but I did not put down the novel feeling this was a brilliant read. ( )

Natural Novel is piece of meta-fiction, which attempts to chronicle then attempt of an editor (called Georgi Gospodinov) to make sense of a manuscript (written by a homeless man called Georgi Gospodinov). The manuscript is an attempt to write a 'natural novel', which is built up from a mosaic of stories about flies, plants, excrement and loneliness (among other things). The fly provides the inspiration for the structure, as the mosaic of the narrative parallels the mosaic built up by an insect's compound eye. All the while the narrator is trying to make sense of his wife's infidelity and the end of his marriage. The whole book becomes an elliptical story of Gospodinov's descent into loneliness. The tone is melancholy, the structure brilliantly realised and the writing beyond clever. Fans of If on a Winter's Night a Traveller... will love this, as will anyone interested in a bit of mind-bending post-modern fiction.