SPOILERS AHEAD
"Karate Chop" by Dorthe Nors has its moments but is overall underwhelming. Though all the stories are short, keeping the entire collection under 100 pages, I often found there was not enough substance to keep me interested. I also recognize this could in part be reflective of the translator more than Nors herself.
Similar to Aidt (another Danish short story writer), Nors uses her collection to tell snippets of "real-life," though with far less dramatic plots than Aidt. What Nors does that is most intriguing, however, is analyze the human ego. To be perfectly clear, "ego" here is in reference to the psychological definition.
As with Aidt, Nors features unlikable characters, though all of her characters show a disconnect between what is "right" and what they believe is right. The most notable example of this is in her story "The Buddhist" which follows a man who believes he needs to be Buddhist as it already aligns with his character after being hit with a divorce filing from his wife. His delusions are such that he ends up with a job he doesn't deserve and is about to lose, threatening immolation without ever reflecting that *he* could be the problem.
While the analysis of ego is the primary glue for this collection, other themes like existentialism (tied to ego), grief, and apathy can be found throughout.
