Karl Ove Knausgård permits the characters to reveal themselves through comprehensive descriptions. He maintains the belief that we will ultimately grasp and possibly gain insight from them. Whether the characters fail to learn from their mistakes is either inconsequential or, in fact, the focal point, depending on the interpretation of the book.
“The Third Kingdom” resumes where “The Morning Star” concluded, even though it is the third instalment in the trilogy. The second book, “The Wolfs from Eternity,” feels somewhat like a digression in the trilogy due to its limited focus on just two characters: a brother and sister who were previously unaware of each other’s existence and eventually reunite with limited success. This book, which primarily unfolds in Russia, does not achieve its intended impact. Knausgård’s ability to thoroughly portray his characters is more effective in the Norwegian setting of Bergen, offering a sense of relief.
Knausgård employs a first-person perspective for the entire trilogy, with each chapter bearing the name of a particular person. In “The Morning Star,” the narrative primarily revolved around couples struggling within their relationships or with themselves, sometimes involving parent-child dynamics. What proves particularly effective in the context of the trilogy is the reexamination of the same situations from “The Morning Star,” but this time from the opposite perspective. This presents an intriguing aspect, as it revisits key events from the previous book.
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