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The Loop
Winner of the 41st International 3-Day Novel Writing Contest
Alan is unsure if he is dead or dreaming, he only knows that he is stuck in a loop. He finds himself being forced to walk along a straight path through an unending pine forest where any deviation from the path causes him to black out and begin again. Dipping in and out of an endless purgatorial walk, Alan relives key moments in his life where he missed the opportunity to learn, escape, and change: The death of his mother, an abusive relationship with his father, and the opportunity to connect with his only real friend, a neighbour he never speaks to named Edgar.
The Loop chronicles the life of an alcoholic who is unable to escape his past to explore the ways in which abuse can shape someone into their abuser and the ways trauma can transfer from one generation to the next. How much of who we are is who we are? How much of it is someone else? What if this has all happened before?
Alan is unsure if he is dead or dreaming, he only knows that he is stuck in a loop. He finds himself being forced to walk along a straight path through an unending pine forest where any deviation from the path causes him to black out and begin again. Dipping in and out of an endless purgatorial walk, Alan relives key moments in his life where he missed the opportunity to learn, escape, and change: The death of his mother, an abusive relationship with his father, and the opportunity to connect with his only real friend, a neighbour he never speaks to named Edgar.
The Loop chronicles the life of an alcoholic who is unable to escape his past to explore the ways in which abuse can shape someone into their abuser and the ways trauma can transfer from one generation to the next. How much of who we are is who we are? How much of it is someone else? What if this has all happened before?
108 pages, Paperback
Published October 22, 2020
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 10, 2021
A brief but beautiful window into the loops we live and the lives we lead.
December 1, 2020
The Loop is simultaneously a quick read and a deep philosophical dive into purgatory. Alan, the main character, can't seem to escape his endless trek through time on earth and beyond. Forced to revisit scenes from his past while trudging along a line of fellow loopers he cannot talk to, Alan makes peace with his fate while fighting it every repetitious step of the way. You won't be able to put this book down until you've witnessed every footfall. Trust me. (See my blog for full review.)
December 25, 2020
“you can’t run around your life shouting and weeping all the time.” Brilliant, beautiful, hilarious, profound, achingly sad. Sanders’s prose is masterful.
If you liked Hrabal’s TOO LOUD A SOLITUDE, you will love THE LOOP.
If you liked Hrabal’s TOO LOUD A SOLITUDE, you will love THE LOOP.
February 6, 2021
As soon as I finished this book, I felt compelled to go back and read it again from the beginning. Well-played, Dan Sanders.
April 30, 2021
Loved the ethereal feeling throughout and how swiftly the story moved from past to present. Somber throughout but with an ending that is open to interpretation.
November 16, 2020
The Loop is one of those beautiful pieces of writing that will linger with you for some time. It devastated me and made me laugh out loud and I couldn’t consume it quickly enough.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews