The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Fosse, John. Septology. Transit Books, 2019.

Septology is a profound and intricate exploration of human consciousness, memory, and identity, told through the experiences of a protagonist named Asle, who exists in multiple interconnected versions of himself.

The novel begins with a recurring motif of Asle looking at a painting of intersecting purple and brown lines in the shape of a Saint Andrew's Cross. This painting becomes a symbolic anchor for the entire narrative, representing the intersections of memory, experience, and potential lives.

The story primarily follows two versions of Asle: a sober, older artist living in Dyglja, and an alcoholic version of himself. These two Asles are not strictly separate characters, but interconnected representations of the same person at different life stages and potential life paths.

In the early sections, we learn about Asle's childhood and formative experiences. A pivotal moment is the death of his sister Alida, who passes away suddenly in her sleep, leaving a profound impact on Asle's life. This loss becomes a source of deep grief and a turning point in his understanding of himself.

Asle's artistic journey is central to the narrative. He attends The Art School, where he meets Ales, who becomes his wife and a transformative force in his life. Ales introduces Asle to Catholicism and helps him overcome his previous struggles with alcoholism. Their relationship is depicted as a deep spiritual and romantic connection that fundamentally reshapes Asle's understanding of himself.

The novel explores Asle's complex relationships with various characters. Åsleik, a loyal friend, becomes a consistent presence in Asle's life. Guro, a mysterious woman who appears throughout the narrative, represents both connection and potential alternative life paths. The other Asle, living a different version of the same life, provides a counterpoint to the sober Asle's existence.

A significant portion of the narrative delves into Asle's memories. These include his difficult early relationships, including a tumultuous marriage to Liv, who struggles with mental health and attempts suicide. These memories are not presented linearly, but as interconnected fragments that reveal the complexity of human experience.

The novel explores Asle's artistic career through his relationship with Beyer, a gallery owner who recognizes Asle's talent from a young age. Asle's approach to art is deeply personal, more concerned with the act of creation than external recognition. At various points, he considers retiring from painting, only to be unexpectedly drawn back to creative expression.

Spiritual seeking is a crucial theme throughout the novel. Influenced by Ales and philosophers like Meister Eckhart, Asle develops a deeply personal relationship with Catholicism. His spiritual journey is not about institutional adherence, but about finding meaning and peace through personal reflection and experience.

The novel's structure is highly innovative. It uses a stream-of-consciousness style with long, meandering sentences that blur the boundaries between past and present, between different versions of the protagonist. Memories are not presented as fixed recollections, but as living, dynamic experiences that constantly reshape understanding.

In the final section, several narrative threads converge dramatically. Asle experiences a sudden desire to paint again, creating a portrait of Guro. He learns of the death of the other Asle and believes Guro has died in a fire, only to discover she is alive. He attends Christmas midnight mass, praying for both the other Asle and Guro, symbolizing a moment of spiritual reconciliation.

The novel concludes with a series of rapid, fragmented memory vignettes that resist clear interpretation. This final sequence suggests that identity is fundamentally a collage of experiences, memories, and potential moments.

Throughout the Septology, Fosse explores profound philosophical questions: What constitutes identity? How do memory and potential intersect? How do we understand ourselves through our relationships, our artistic expressions, and our spiritual seeking?

The Saint Andrew's Cross painting becomes a metaphor for the entire narrative - intersecting lines representing the ways different experiences, potential lives, and moments of consciousness come together. It suggests that human experience is not linear, but a complex intersection of multiple potential paths.

Ultimately, the Septology presents a deeply empathetic portrait of human complexity. It suggests that our understanding of self is not about achieving a fixed state, but about continuously navigating the intricate intersections of experience, memory, and potential.

Love, loss, artistic creation, and spiritual seeking emerge as the primary mechanisms through which we construct and understand ourselves. The novel resists clear resolution, instead offering a beautiful, complex tapestry of human experience - fragmented, interconnected, and fundamentally mysterious.

Fosse's work challenges traditional narrative structures, presenting a unique exploration of consciousness that suggests our lives are not singular, fixed experiences, but complex, interconnected potential paths constantly in dialogue with each other.