Rating: 
Summary: One Child's View
Review: At once, a philosophical examination of the notions of time and Darwinism, and a child's exploration of the pressures our society puts on its young. Peter Hoeg vividly captures one child's struggle with the concepts of a grown-up world. Hoeg explores the child's need to understand the purposes and motivations behind the familiar institutions of school and family. In trying to grasp the meaning behind the instituions, the child creates a game. Suddenly, the game becomes the child's only reality. Despite Hoeg's lengthy digression into the history of the nature of time, which may leave the reader wondering how a story about a child's secret world turned into a discourse on philosophy, Hoeg succeeds in creating a story that both envelops the reader's imagination while forcing the reader to question his/her most basic beliefs. He uses the child's eye to examine a modern world most have grown to accept. The main characters are, for the most part, believable. And the scenes are reminicent of fractured images we all share of childhood. For a child, there is school and family and the need to understand why bad things happen. Hoeg motions us toward appreciating the struggle for understanding, regardless of whether true and full understanding ever comes. With Borderliners, Hoeg has written a superb novel.
Rating:
Summary: An examination of power
Review: Being the first of Hoeg's works I've read, Borderliners struck me as interesting in its writing style (a kind of dry, unemotional, first-person retelling of the past told in snippets that read like a scientist's lab notebook observations), but ultimately disappointed me. The attempt to mesh a rather bland narrative with the author's partially elaborated philosophical musings on the nature of time proved debilitating to both approaches. With such a serious tone and lofty rhetoric, a reader expects the story and the philosophical concepts to match these heights, but they never do. As the children discover the "plan" behind the school and even deeper insights into their relation to time, I was left feeling and saying, "so what?!" (a kind of bibliophile's equivalent to riding a roller coaster up a big hill expecting to fear or thrill at the other side only to find it just levels out at the top). The writing never quite finds a rhythm or balance, although an element of suspense manages to carry one quite easily through the book. Hoeg's portrayal of childhood and the social forces that shape us stand out admirably, but all in all, his unique approach falls short and ends up muting the overall impact of the book.
Rating:
Summary: An examination of power
Review: Borderliners is a disturbing examination of the nature of power and the way it can be manipulated. The surreal school setting focusses the reader's attention on events that many students may have naturalised; the ringing of bells, the concept of out-of-bounds, punishment, discipline and psychological assessment of students. In disrupting traditional notions of time and of the benign nature of adult authority, Hoeg is able to direct the reader into the world that exists outside of artificial, socially imposed boundaries. It is scary and dark but always a valuable place to consider. Borderliners positions the reader with those who are outside society looking in; it is a shocking experience. The multiple readings that are possible add to the intellectual and emotional impact of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, but a bit of a downer
Review: Borderliners, a national bestseller according to the cover (but never stating which nation) was a fairly compelling and intelligent novel. Roughly, it is the story of a teenager growing up in a Danish orphanage. Actually, it is more focused than that, with the actual story taking place over a span of months, but with frequent (too frequent sometimes) flashbacks to earlier times.Peter Hoeg walks a fine line here, and not always with the agility required of a tightrope walker. At times the descent into the overbearing conformity and casual cruelty of the system is clear and present, but sometimes the author meanders around, yanking us away from the atmosphere he has so skillfully built up. For its size, there isn???t a lot that actually ???happens??? that I wish to discuss without giving away plot elements. But I do want to say that the plot as described on the back cover doesn???t really hold up. What the editorial writer referred to as a ???secret experiment in social Darwinism??? is really nothing more that the practice of mainstreaming ???special needs??? students. I use quotes only because I don???t know the current correct term. And ???re-creating time and space??? is just another phrase for breaking rules and trying not to get caught. This is a simplified breakdown, but I didn???t think in the end it was quite as big a deal as I???d been led to believe. There are other problem areas. For one, a major character was presented sympathetically even though he attacks and breaks fingers whenever someone is rude to him. I suppose the sinister experimentation is that he was put in an environment he couldn???t handle, which is a valid point, but I found it hard to feel that sorry. Another more serious problem is the last section. There are three sections, roughly dividing the story, but the last one is two thirds taken up with Hoeg???s random philosophizing on the nature of time. Mostly this is just introspective musings, and added little of value that I could identify. I suppose it???s meant as further commentary on the strict time schedules the characters are forced to adhere to. I don???t know. But it didn???t add anything. Basically, this is a pretty good book. It???s something a bit different, at least from my normal reading, and I???d probably choose to read more of Hoeg???s work in the future sometime or other. But I hardly found it exceptional.
Rating:
Summary: Haunts the mind
Review: Danish author Peter Hoeg established himself with the masterful "History of Danish Dreams," a surreal, funny, haunting story that tweaked the boundaries of the real world. "Borderliners" is a bit like that, but starkly real and not very funny at all. it's haunting, surreal, and quite disturbing. Hoeg did a fantastic job with this. They are the "borderliners": Children who don't fit in, be it for not being smart enough, for having difficulties with others, or just failing to slip into the slots that society has for them. Fourteen-year-old Peter has been in institutions of one sort or another all his life, partly because of his lack of "normality," and is now going to the creepy Biehl's Academy where the "borderline" children mingle with the privileged kids, in obsessively strict surroundings. There, Peter encounters the wise orphan Katarina, who saw her parents both die -- her mother of cancer, stretching out every second of the last months of her life, and her grieving father, who tried to speed time up. And there's August, a strangely sinister child who harbors a dark secret in his past. The three grow closer, Peter falls for Katarina, and they begin struggling to break free of the strange experiments in social Darwinism being performed at the school. Given the name of the lead character -- Peter Hoeg -- I can only assume that this is at least partly autobiographical. That may be why the book is so moving and personal-feeling. Like "Danish Dreams," this book contains a lot of surreal philosophy about time, about how people try to either use or avoid the passage of time. This occasionally stops the book dead, but if you can handle that then it won't be a problem. The book is haunting and eerie, almost dreamlike. Hoeg doesn't overburden the story with too much detail. For example, when Peter and Katarina kiss for the first time, he doesn't describe it -- instead he describes the impact it has on Peter. And the dialogue is just as haunting: "What about the darkness inside people?" "The light will disperse it." "There's not that much light in the entire world." I could tell that Peter comes from Hoeg's heart, because he's so vivid in his feelings and responses. Katarina is incredibly smart and cool-headed, with thoughts beyond her years; August is both appealing and frightening, since he can be lost or violent at any given time. The supporting characters are all vivid and well-drawn, whether they are bad or good. The Academy itself has an aura of almost horrific control, an amazingly well-written place. Peter Hoeg is a master storyteller, and "Borderliners" is a book that stuck in my mind for days after I had read it. A creepy, beautifully-told story with wonderful characters.
Rating:
Summary: A haunting and beautifully-written Hoeg masterpiece
Review: Fourteen-year-old Peter Hoeg is a "misfit," a "borderliner" who doesn't fit in with what society deems his "normal" peers. Children like Peter require special "treatment" which can only be adequately rendered in special types of institutions where brutal stringencies are enforced. Thus, Peter spends much of his young life being shuffled from one orphanage to another. He ultimately winds up at the Biehl Academy, a monstrosity of an institution. There he becomes subjected to the harsh rules and regulations which outline the secret experimentations being conducted there--
all for his own good, mind you. At Biehl, Peter becomes involved with Katarina and August, two other "misfit borderliners" who are being guinea-pigged there under the guise of rehabilitation. Despite the academy's strict protocol, which forcefully discourages socialization among the three, Peter, Katarina, and August clandestinely form a tight-knit friendship which will defy the academy's administrators. Together, under the watchful, reprimanding eyes of their "captives," the three children embark on a strategic plan to escape the insufferable conditions in
which they live, only to meet up with an unexpected and
horrifying tragedy. Hoeg's first novel, "Smilla's Sense of Snow," helped to underline my suspicions that this, too, would be a fantastic novel. And my hunch was right on target. "Borderliners" is another
beautifully-written Hoeg masterpiece! It's only rare that a writer can so masterfully create on paper characters so believably real that it feels as if you've known them all your life. I could almost reach out and touch Hoeg's children as if they were sitting right here beside me. And never before have I been so poignantly touched by the emotional pains residing inside of a child's heart. Hoeg brilliantly illustrates the full gamut of emotions exerienced by the orphans--their pains and their struggles, their hopes and dreams. I actually cried at certain parts in the book. It's obvious the amount of research Hoeg puts into his novels. While snow and ice set the theme for "Smilla's Sense of Snow," the subject of time prevails in "Borderliners." It mustn't be easy trying to weave such complex strands of non-fiction into the work of an "autobiographical" thriller, yet Hoeg blends the two genres quite amicably. One complaint I have with this book, however, is Hoeg's incessant rambling in Part 3 about the concepts of time. Though his thoughtful discussions on linear and circular time is bound to titillate the interest of any fan of philosophy, I personally
think the book could have done without most of its discussion. But having said this, one must take into consideration that Hoeg's style of writing dictates overly-descriptive passages-- that's just the way he writes and you either like it or you don't. This book is a must for anyone interested in the problems created by social reform and child abuse. "Borderliners" is an accurate depiction of what happens when meddling authorities attempt to control and manipulate human behavior. Two thumbs up for this outstanding book!
Rating:
Summary: This book is a gift.
Review: I am a psychotherapist who has worked with abused children and Adolescents. Borderliners has given them, and myself, a voice. I Have had this book for years, and just read it for the third time. Hoeg writes as he describes a favorite author, "You have read what they have written, and it is like a friend reaching out to you" This was my experience with "Borderliners". A true rare gift, teaching the reader ways to experience the richness of life. Thank You.
Rating: 
Summary: well-intentioned rambling doesn't quite hit the mark
Review: I didn't really like Smilla either so I am not sure why I even read this book. The jacket hails it as "gripping" and "disturbing", but I found myself wondering from page to page why Hoeg was taking himself so very seriously with his hit and miss philosophical discussions of time. I went through periods of thinking that he was hitting on something very profound, but in the end felt myself wading in pretty shallow waters. Not a total waste of time, however - some interesting characters and a pretty addictive plot. I was just put off by his rambling discussions of a topic that he should have either put a LOT more thought into, or left out completely
Rating:
Summary: If you were a paranoid, obsessive teen, this is your story
Review: I'd really like to dismiss this book as being badly written, poorly plotted, and depressing, but I won't. It is dark, weird, and confusing, but that's not all it is. In "Borderliners", Peter Hoeg has absolutely captured the rush and the crush of adolescence, with its attendant aching, uncertainty, and urgency. The twist in this story, and what is likely to frustrate many readers, is Hoeg's use of time as a plot device. The characters, teenagers in a mindnumbingly banal but wickedly punitive correctional boarding school, discover an ability to manipulate the passage of time, which both benefits them, and subjugates them further to authority. Repeatedly, Hoeg deviates into long-winded passages about the philosophy of time, which do nothing to advance the story, and only served to irk me. I didn't like it, but if you were a paranoid, obsessive teenager, and enjoy revisiting your adolescent angst, "Borderliners" is your story, and you're welcome to it.
Rating:
Summary: Ambitious, Flawed, and Very Worthwhile
Review: It's difficult for me to think of this book separately from Hoeg's first, _A History of Danish Dreams_, which reads like a fever-dream-version of _Borderliners_. Both are obsessed with the passage (or seeming failure to pass) of time, and with certain elements of pagan and Lutheran symbolism. Both are populated by characters surviving in the midst of nearly Kafkaesque madness by distancing themselves from the world and the people in it. The two books feed one another: I think that, if it's feasible, you should read the older book first.
_Borderliners_ is more polished than either _Smilla..._ or _...History..._, but it grows rough toward the end, as Hoeg draws closer to the real subject of the story. Even as the prose grows awkward, though, and even as the narrative becomes more detached as it approaches the present, those facts somehow make it even more effective.
This is not an easy book to read, emotionally, nor is it a simple book to understand. It can be construed as an indictment of "special education" or progressivism, but it should not be: It's simply the story that it is, and shouldn't be approached with any preconceptions.
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