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thebobsphere's review
4.0
Occupation is the second part of Julián Fuks loose autobiographical trilogy. In the previous volume, resistance Fuks spoke about his sibling relations with his family’s escape from Argentina. This time round the scope is more kaleidoscopic, using different narrative voices,
The book is divided roughly into 3 plots. One is about Fuks alter ego Sebastián interviewing refugees in an apartment block. Another plot concerns Sebastián’s upcoming fatherhood, while at the same time he is losing his own father to sickness.
Despite this structural difference, Resistance’s themes of displacement are still present in Occupation: A lot of the chapters are dedicated to the refugees stories and how they had to move out their countries and their ongoing ways of adapting to South America.
In Resistance Fuks stated that he felt like an outsider and in Occupation as he is going to be a father, he feels that he is alienated again, we all know that a child is a bit life change and Sebastián is not sure that he is cut out for fatherhood, at the same time his link to his father is casting him further adrift. By the end of the book, there is a meta moment as Sebastián receives a letter from no other than African author Mia Couto (who also praises this book). A total surprise and has sparked my interest in the direction the third part ( out in 2023) will take.
Although Occupation shares it’s themes with it’s previous volume, I think it is thematically richer and has more ideas. I do suggest that reading both Resistance and Occupation back to back is recommended as one can see the progression between both volumes.
The book is divided roughly into 3 plots. One is about Fuks alter ego Sebastián interviewing refugees in an apartment block. Another plot concerns Sebastián’s upcoming fatherhood, while at the same time he is losing his own father to sickness.
Despite this structural difference, Resistance’s themes of displacement are still present in Occupation: A lot of the chapters are dedicated to the refugees stories and how they had to move out their countries and their ongoing ways of adapting to South America.
In Resistance Fuks stated that he felt like an outsider and in Occupation as he is going to be a father, he feels that he is alienated again, we all know that a child is a bit life change and Sebastián is not sure that he is cut out for fatherhood, at the same time his link to his father is casting him further adrift. By the end of the book, there is a meta moment as Sebastián receives a letter from no other than African author Mia Couto (who also praises this book). A total surprise and has sparked my interest in the direction the third part ( out in 2023) will take.
Although Occupation shares it’s themes with it’s previous volume, I think it is thematically richer and has more ideas. I do suggest that reading both Resistance and Occupation back to back is recommended as one can see the progression between both volumes.
re_do_876's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
adam613's review
4.0
"Opposition was the only thing that could make sense in a present in such disarray. Only disorder was reasonable faced with the unreason of order."
Occupation is the upcoming release from Charco Press and the newest piece of autofiction from Julián Fuks. The sequel to Resistance is a narrative of the writer's conversations with refugees occupying a building in downtown Sao Paulo, with his terminally ill father and his wife during her pregnancy. Under the surface, Fuks associates the obvious and not so obvious degrees of occupation through these relations.
"Every man is the ruin of a man."
Through his relationship with his ill father and his wife trying to have a baby, the narrator philosophizes the fragility of life and the cost of isolation and solitude. He wonders about themes such as freedom, mortality, and a writer's role and relationship with his subjects. The links between the obvious and not so obvious connections in themes are navigated intelligently and beautifully by Fuks.
"A refugee from everything, from the blaze of the world, a refugee from myself."
From interviews, the writer hears of many stories from those in exile who are occupying the abandoned Cambridge Hotel. These horrific stories shared by the refugees from countries such as Syria give way to the strength and light brought by their resistance. The juxtaposition of occupation is that they are fighting their situation with the method that brought on their exile sums up the duality of life.
"But because it's always necessary to make the attempt, even if it's only to fail again, and in that failure to survive."
Through concise voyeuristic chapters, this book gave an intimate glimpse into the innermost aspects of the lives of these characters. Clearly presented and crafted passages are both entertaining and insightful. This novel is easy to devour and will require a second reading to discover more of the depth offered in Occupation by Julián Fuks.
Once again, Charco has done an excellent job not just at discovering amazing authors, and translators such as Daniel Hahn do such a wonderful job. Thank you very much, Charco for my review copy before the August 17 publication date.
Occupation is the upcoming release from Charco Press and the newest piece of autofiction from Julián Fuks. The sequel to Resistance is a narrative of the writer's conversations with refugees occupying a building in downtown Sao Paulo, with his terminally ill father and his wife during her pregnancy. Under the surface, Fuks associates the obvious and not so obvious degrees of occupation through these relations.
"Every man is the ruin of a man."
Through his relationship with his ill father and his wife trying to have a baby, the narrator philosophizes the fragility of life and the cost of isolation and solitude. He wonders about themes such as freedom, mortality, and a writer's role and relationship with his subjects. The links between the obvious and not so obvious connections in themes are navigated intelligently and beautifully by Fuks.
"A refugee from everything, from the blaze of the world, a refugee from myself."
From interviews, the writer hears of many stories from those in exile who are occupying the abandoned Cambridge Hotel. These horrific stories shared by the refugees from countries such as Syria give way to the strength and light brought by their resistance. The juxtaposition of occupation is that they are fighting their situation with the method that brought on their exile sums up the duality of life.
"But because it's always necessary to make the attempt, even if it's only to fail again, and in that failure to survive."
Through concise voyeuristic chapters, this book gave an intimate glimpse into the innermost aspects of the lives of these characters. Clearly presented and crafted passages are both entertaining and insightful. This novel is easy to devour and will require a second reading to discover more of the depth offered in Occupation by Julián Fuks.
Once again, Charco has done an excellent job not just at discovering amazing authors, and translators such as Daniel Hahn do such a wonderful job. Thank you very much, Charco for my review copy before the August 17 publication date.
bigbeardedbookseller's review
4.0
I think this may have been one of the books I’ve tried to read the most over the second lockdown, I may have started this six or seven times.
This is not a statement of the quality of the book apart from that the book deserves your full attention and I was unable to give it that until now.
A book like this is so hard to review as Julián is writing about what feels like extremely personal episodes in his own life which are attributed to Sebastián, his alter ego and this can at times feel quite voyeuristic as the near death of his father, his wife’s pregnancy, and the lives of the occupiers all feel so raw.
But this personal also looks at the universal, life, death, relationships, fear, anxiety. Feeling we can all share are explored in an extremely honest manner and the wounds of experience shared for all to see.
Exploring this in small, but punchy chapters gives plenty of opportunity to pause and digest, reread if required, this almost poetic exploration of what it means to be Sebastián at this period in his life.
This is also another book from Charco Press where you don’t ‘feel’ the translator which shows the thought and time this will have taken Daniel Hahn to get right (and another great cover from Pablo Font).
Looking forward to reading ‘Resistance’ now as well.
This is not a statement of the quality of the book apart from that the book deserves your full attention and I was unable to give it that until now.
A book like this is so hard to review as Julián is writing about what feels like extremely personal episodes in his own life which are attributed to Sebastián, his alter ego and this can at times feel quite voyeuristic as the near death of his father, his wife’s pregnancy, and the lives of the occupiers all feel so raw.
But this personal also looks at the universal, life, death, relationships, fear, anxiety. Feeling we can all share are explored in an extremely honest manner and the wounds of experience shared for all to see.
Exploring this in small, but punchy chapters gives plenty of opportunity to pause and digest, reread if required, this almost poetic exploration of what it means to be Sebastián at this period in his life.
This is also another book from Charco Press where you don’t ‘feel’ the translator which shows the thought and time this will have taken Daniel Hahn to get right (and another great cover from Pablo Font).
Looking forward to reading ‘Resistance’ now as well.
ritapontotomas's review against another edition
4.0
“Pai, eu vou ter um filho.
Que notícia linda, Julián. Obrigado por me dizer.
Obrigado a você, pai. Mas aqui você me chama de Sebastián.”
Que notícia linda, Julián. Obrigado por me dizer.
Obrigado a você, pai. Mas aqui você me chama de Sebastián.”
mariarunkelcardoso's review against another edition
2.75
Mix feelings com este livro. Por um lado gostei, por outro não gostei. Gostei porque o tema é interessante e o autor de facto escreve bem, mas por outro lado parecia só algo mecânico, uma forma de automatismo de escrever por escrever, não consegui sentir empatia e de certa forma não senti que estava a tratar as "personagens" com total respeito (não é bem respeito que quero dizer, mas faltou algum cuidado)? Gostei mais depois de ouvir a opinião das pessoas do coletivo no clube do livro, mas mesmo assim faltou algo..
No entanto, tem passagens muito bonitas, como a parte do tempo a passar por um filho (e a razão da escolha de ter um), mais a questão da ocupação e do espaço política, formas muito bonitas de ver o mundo.
No entanto, tem passagens muito bonitas, como a parte do tempo a passar por um filho (e a razão da escolha de ter um), mais a questão da ocupação e do espaço política, formas muito bonitas de ver o mundo.
emka918's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
linguaphile412's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Medical content, Blood, Grief, and Miscarriage
Minor: War, Alcoholism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, and Infertility