The starting point for this book was when Knausgaard was asked to curate a Munch exhibition at the Munch Museum in Oslo and had 1,000 paintings to choose from, a collection of both good and bad paintings, many of which he had never seen. This book is an account of the process of selection and an evaluation of the paintings. The book is not a work of art appreciation in the traditional sense but a personal exploration of what Munch has meant and still means to Knausgaard, and why the artist has always been so important to him. He concentrates on the work rather than the life and reflects on why art can have such a deep impact on an individual and what, in essence, is the purpose of art. The style is somewhat rambling and with many digressions into his, Knausgaard’s, own life and is very much a personal meditation, with his own thoughts, reflections and analysis. I find Knausgaard’s style and approach to writing quite mesmerising, and although for me this book had its longueurs, something his My Struggle sequence doesn’t have for me, overall I very much enjoyed listening to him and sharing his thoughts. An interesting and thought-provoking read.