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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
All of the acclaim this book has received is very well-deserved. I do think it's one of the best novels I've ever read, although, in the words of my professor, it's "almost a novel that wishes it weren't a novel." The story is very uniquely crafted through prose, photos, documents, and allusion to other media, and I really got a full experience in reading it. I love how it blends fiction and reality in a really compelling way, and has a beautiful sense of play and empathy woven into the way it portrays the child characters and their voices. From the first chapter, I had feared that it would be dense or dull, but every time I turned the page, there was something else that keep compelling me to turn the page. A story of this magnitude could easily have been unapproachable, but it is not, and I think the genius of the book is that it would appeal to pretty much anyone.... so I definitely recommend it!
DNF'd- I was reading this for class and didn't finish it in time. We talked about the entire thing in class so I already know what happens. I wasn't really in it either and it is taking me too long to finish it.
Valeria Luiselli's polyvocal first novel in English blends the road novel with essayistic meditations on Americana, parenthood, family, and immigration with varying degrees of success. The unnamed narrator's examination of her own family is particularly affecting, as she contemplates the disintegration of her marriage and the resulting destabilization her children will face. At the same time, Luiselli seamlessly interweaves criticism about everything from photographer Sally Mann to David Bowie to both real and imagined representations of the Children's Crusade.
Unfortunately, not all elements of the novel feel successful—a small portion of the novel consists of a fictional book about the Children's Crusade by an imagined Italian author. Though purported to be a work dating back at least forty years, the novel is (obviously very intentionally) filled with signifiers of the contemporary immigration crisis, including children riding atop trains they call "the beast," adult male smugglers who are clear stand-ins for coyotes, and treacherous river crossings. Packed with allusions, these sections feel stultifyingly highbrow in the self-consciousness, losing sight of the urgency of, you know, children literally being lost en masse. Curiously, the husband's obsession with the Apaches is left somewhat uninterrogated, and the novel feels oddly erasive of indigeneity. And while I enjoyed a section narrated by the narrator's ten-year-old son,. (Yes, I consider this stylistic description a spoiler).
But at the same time, despite its many flaws, Luiselli does seem to accomplish something, regardless of quality, that feels new. The novel is written with urgency and at times visceral emotion. The absence of answers is reflective of the contemporary political moment, a reflection of the helplessness engendered by hyperconnectivity. The novel reads as Luiselli rising to a political moment. Regardless of how well she succeeds on every side, the ambition and scope is laudable, and were the novel seen as a classic in a few years, I might understand. It's a complicated, mostly unflinching snapshot of a harrowing political moment. But for now, I can't decide whether the novel's stylistic mishmash and use of many voices leaves something to be desired or is purposefully disarming.
Unfortunately, not all elements of the novel feel successful—a small portion of the novel consists of a fictional book about the Children's Crusade by an imagined Italian author. Though purported to be a work dating back at least forty years, the novel is (obviously very intentionally) filled with signifiers of the contemporary immigration crisis, including children riding atop trains they call "the beast," adult male smugglers who are clear stand-ins for coyotes, and treacherous river crossings. Packed with allusions, these sections feel stultifyingly highbrow in the self-consciousness, losing sight of the urgency of, you know, children literally being lost en masse. Curiously, the husband's obsession with the Apaches is left somewhat uninterrogated, and the novel feels oddly erasive of indigeneity. And while I enjoyed a section narrated by the narrator's ten-year-old son,
Spoiler
his penultimate chapter, one sentence that stretched more than ten pages, was so self-consciously Literary it discredited the already wobbly veracity of the children's voicesBut at the same time, despite its many flaws, Luiselli does seem to accomplish something, regardless of quality, that feels new. The novel is written with urgency and at times visceral emotion. The absence of answers is reflective of the contemporary political moment, a reflection of the helplessness engendered by hyperconnectivity. The novel reads as Luiselli rising to a political moment. Regardless of how well she succeeds on every side, the ambition and scope is laudable, and were the novel seen as a classic in a few years, I might understand. It's a complicated, mostly unflinching snapshot of a harrowing political moment. But for now, I can't decide whether the novel's stylistic mishmash and use of many voices leaves something to be desired or is purposefully disarming.
adventurous
emotional
sad
Cercando i bimbi scomparsi attraversando il confine, ascoltando le eco degli spiriti Apache, chiamando dalla torre di controllo Major Tom di David Bowie.
This feels sacreligious but I had a hard time getting through this! Maybe bc grad school but it just didn’t grab me the way I expected it to! The best part was the book within the book and the relationship between the 2 kids, the worse part was the like 10 page long sentence.
Forgive me friends who love it xoxo
Forgive me friends who love it xoxo
Complicado no pensar en su librito de "Los niños perdidos" leyendo este, aunque sea injusto por ser uno un ensayo y otro ficción, y por tener uno cien paginillas escasas y otro cerca de quinientas. "Desierto sonoro" parece muchas veces estar más interesado en hacer un juego metaliterario que en absorbernos con su historia, por mucho que levante el vuelo en el último tercio y se vuelva desgarrador e impactante.
I loved this so much and this is a very ‘me’ kind of book.
Valeria Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive is a multitude of stories weaved masterfully into a coherent, all-encompassing story of a family falling apart while the same happens to millions of children and migrants trying to cross the border from latinx countries into the US. Based on real experiences from the author, Lost Children Archive is another addition to the ‘autobiographical fiction’ genre that has found many praise in books such as Rachel Cusk’s Outline and Sigrid Nuñez’s The Friend: in my opinion, it is just as worthy of the praise as those two.
I loved the intimate discussions of the first part, where an unnamed narrator is recounting to the reader how/why the family ended up in the heart of the US in a roadtrip through the south -- it borrows a lot from other media and literature, which is always a delight to me and gave me a lot more material to explore. Luiselli is such an intelligent and insightful person, I could hear her talk about books and the human condition for the entirety of the novel but her choice to add a new perspective from the children’s point of view added another layer of meaning and injected the narrative with renewed freshness.
It doubtlessly discusses important and timely themes of migration and doesn’t shy away from recounting the most shocking and heartbreaking details of the children’s journey north, looking for a better life: it is infused with rage but is also able to maintain its objectivity and lucidity.
Undoubtedly my best read of 2019 and one of those rare literary experiences I considered simply, perfect.
Valeria Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive is a multitude of stories weaved masterfully into a coherent, all-encompassing story of a family falling apart while the same happens to millions of children and migrants trying to cross the border from latinx countries into the US. Based on real experiences from the author, Lost Children Archive is another addition to the ‘autobiographical fiction’ genre that has found many praise in books such as Rachel Cusk’s Outline and Sigrid Nuñez’s The Friend: in my opinion, it is just as worthy of the praise as those two.
I loved the intimate discussions of the first part, where an unnamed narrator is recounting to the reader how/why the family ended up in the heart of the US in a roadtrip through the south -- it borrows a lot from other media and literature, which is always a delight to me and gave me a lot more material to explore. Luiselli is such an intelligent and insightful person, I could hear her talk about books and the human condition for the entirety of the novel but her choice to add a new perspective from the children’s point of view added another layer of meaning and injected the narrative with renewed freshness.
It doubtlessly discusses important and timely themes of migration and doesn’t shy away from recounting the most shocking and heartbreaking details of the children’s journey north, looking for a better life: it is infused with rage but is also able to maintain its objectivity and lucidity.
Undoubtedly my best read of 2019 and one of those rare literary experiences I considered simply, perfect.
This is a masterful piece of writing with a completely original structure. It draws on so many different multimedia pieces (sound recordings, photos, ephemera, songs, poetry, allusions to other literature) it's almost an art installation of written composition.
It's by turns a dysfunctional family road trip and a mass child migration with historical echoes.
It's blown me away and could well be in my top reads this year.
I love reading the Booker long-list there are often so many gems on it and this is one of them.
Highly recommended.
It's by turns a dysfunctional family road trip and a mass child migration with historical echoes.
It's blown me away and could well be in my top reads this year.
I love reading the Booker long-list there are often so many gems on it and this is one of them.
Highly recommended.