Recommending Momo

Usually when I write a review, I try to talk about specific things that make the thing I’m recommending unique or interesting. I don’t want to resort to platitudes and very general statements like “engrossing”, “excellent prose” or “gripping plot”, because that you can say about almost any book you like. The reason I started reading Malazan for example, is because someone said that they are epic fantasy books that are written like short stories. That caught my interest so I started reading them. With Momo by Michael Ende however, I have a harder time articulating myself. I feel like I can only talk in general terms if I don’t want to spoil too much. I don’t know how else to recommend this book than to say that it is an engrossing story, that the prose is excellent, the plot gripping, and the themes profound. Sometimes a book is just good in ways that are cliche to describe, without being cliche itself.

It is a children’s story that has that dreamy quality of wonder about it — it flows effortlessly between the ordinary and the fantastical, between the playfully whimsical and solemnly earnest, all while being rich in themes. I adore the style it is written in, how evocative it is while using very ordinary words. I reread it a year ago, after having read it once before as a kid. Before rereading it I didn’t realize how much that book must have meant to me when I first read it. Time after time it felt like the book was describing something about my own values and sensibilities in a way that felt nostalgic or familiar. In retrospect, I realize that I probably took a lot of inspiration from Momo while writing Living at the speed of spiders, so if you liked that one, you might also like Momo.

I would recommend that you just pick it up somewhere and start reading, but if you want more concreteness to be convinced, continue reading this post. I shall try to describe it in more detail.

The book is about Momo, a homeless girl that is newly arrived in town. She sets up residence in a room in the abandoned amphitheatre. The people in town notice that she is a bit different --- she is homeless and prefers living alone, despite being so young. Above all, she is quiet and prefers not saying too much. Despite basically appearing out of nowhere, she quickly becomes loved in town. The kids find that despite Momo not taking much of an active role, their imagination flows more freely and vividly when they play with her. The adults come to her in time of confusion because even though she doesn't say much during these conversations, somehow their issues get resolved anyway. Her special ability is knowing how to properly /listen/ to people. Despite their own poverty, the adults find their own way to help her. Some food here, a little bit of carpentry there and soon she is able to live a rich life in the community. All is harmonious, with people giving each other what they can, and receiving what they need.

But one day, Momo notices that there aren't as many kids around to play anymore. Some try to play with the new toy they got, but they just don't seem to be made for play. The adults rarely come to visit her anymore, and when she tries to ask her friends that run the local restaurant what is going on, she gets shooed away because she is wasting their time. Something seems wrong. She becomes worried about her friends and begins investigating. Inadvertantly, she gets dragged into a adventure through the fantastical and metaphorical.

Talking about general themes, I would say it is about living in a world that wants you to optimize your life out of life, about breaking away from the entrenched metaphor that sees time as money, about living and thriving instead of just surviving under capitalism. It is about living at a speed that is your own such that you get to experience and live the life around you, such that the spiders of perception can connect you to the people you hold near. It is a fierce attack against materialism through the immaterial lens of time, a rebuttal of material things' ability to fill the void left behind by the time that is stolen away through optimization, whether it is in the form of wage-labour, exams-based education, or profit maximization.

For people who’ve read the book:

References 🔗︎