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emybooksandcoffee's review against another edition
4.0
A very captivating, interconnected story-within-a-story which captured succesfully the portrait of a whole generation falling apart - if not a whole country. Actually there were a lot of stories orbiting around the main narrative - a man trying to find clues and missing pieces of the puzzle of a tragedy that affected him personally. I didn't expect the writing style to be that good, but it was lyrical, whimsical and melancholic. This vague feeling of melancholy, of lost dreams, of things falling apart, of grief, seeped throughout every page. The plotlines were woven into the main story very intricatelly, the details never felt overdone, the central themes (past and present and how the former affects the latter, and how our experiences affect our memories and vice versa) were explored with sensitivity and care. The ending left me satisifed but also simoultaneously wanting more, and I think that's an indication of a really good book.
dom_jones's review against another edition
4.0
Liked the premise, and a great translation. A foreign-driven drug trade leading to violence is the story is so many Latin American nations and cities.
I did find the narrator Yammara very unlikeable though, despite early scenes with his trauma, and early fatherhood that showed his vulnerability, and commitment to Aura, his child’s mother.
The narrator’s behaviour at some points didn’t make sense - his obsession with Leverde, and his complete abandonment of his partner for his pursuit of answers about a man he barely knows.
Visibly cringed at the line “so it’s my fault then” when Aura tells Yammara she thinks his attitude and trauma could be affecting their daughter.
Yammara sleeping with Maya at the end of the book, and attempting to justify it with idealistic terms also was weird. The day before he’d reassured his “girls”, his daughter and partner that he was looking for answers and not being unfaithful, insisting to himself that he loved them and wanted to protect them.
I found the whole relationship with Aura quite difficult to understand. They’d been seeing each other casually, and as soon as she gets pregnant, Yammara is happy for her to move in and start a life together? There’s no real emotional exploration or exposition of this. But then maybe this shaky foundation explains why she leaves Yammara later in the book.
Overall apart from these plot points, very interesting and readable, with fun bits of history and real life events included.
Read it in one day too which is always a good sign
I did find the narrator Yammara very unlikeable though, despite early scenes with his trauma, and early fatherhood that showed his vulnerability, and commitment to Aura, his child’s mother.
The narrator’s behaviour at some points didn’t make sense - his obsession with Leverde, and his complete abandonment of his partner for his pursuit of answers about a man he barely knows.
Visibly cringed at the line “so it’s my fault then” when Aura tells Yammara she thinks his attitude and trauma could be affecting their daughter.
Yammara sleeping with Maya at the end of the book, and attempting to justify it with idealistic terms also was weird. The day before he’d reassured his “girls”, his daughter and partner that he was looking for answers and not being unfaithful, insisting to himself that he loved them and wanted to protect them.
I found the whole relationship with Aura quite difficult to understand. They’d been seeing each other casually, and as soon as she gets pregnant, Yammara is happy for her to move in and start a life together? There’s no real emotional exploration or exposition of this. But then maybe this shaky foundation explains why she leaves Yammara later in the book.
Overall apart from these plot points, very interesting and readable, with fun bits of history and real life events included.
Read it in one day too which is always a good sign
liann24's review against another edition
4.0
Colombia, Peace Corps, Love, Planes, Cartel, Growing up during the war on drugs, two times and two similar results.
juanpablo's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
fraserkate's review against another edition
emotional
4.25
"Recordar cansa, esto es algo que no nos enseñan, la memoria es una actividad agotadora, drena las energías y desgasta los músculos."
Un tributo bello y triste a que por nuestras historias siempre pasan hilos y raíces de las historias de otros, y al poder de la memoria y la pena.
Un tributo bello y triste a que por nuestras historias siempre pasan hilos y raíces de las historias de otros, y al poder de la memoria y la pena.
gcw30's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
wahnerhendu's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
ageorge1877's review against another edition
4.0
Good. Very good! Great? No. Very good.
A very real novel with deep emotional roots in Colombian history and Colombian people. The explorations into personal and national trauma are very hard-hitting and sometimes tragic.
Vasquez just objectively Is a Good Writer. Dumb thing to say but He Writes Very Good Sentences haha and he brings a lot of life and direction to each page and does an amazingly slick job of pulling all his odd images and details together. Shit's like silk. Real Class yknow.
Sometimes tho he gets too gassed on himself and goes on unnecessary tangents sayin shit like 'and the beans of life were baked as they ever were, and orange spots of time did sputter on my shoe' (idk that's made up I couldnt think of an exact example lol). hOwever, I'm willing to give him some allowances here as the protagonist whose pov this is written from is kinda a dickhead and would absolutely say nonsense like that. Intentional? Who knows, but I dont think that kind of knobbery happened in his other book The Informers (which slaps and everyone should read).
Also didnt Love the extended like 100page flashback that stopped the rhythm pretty dead and felt a little... pedestrian? Uncharged? Is that a thing? But I get it wasnt necessarily there for The Plot but to dive more into Colombia's very difficult history.
And that's the big boi focus of this here novel really, a heartfelt look back at a wounded country, on the other side of its worst years of conflict. In a discourse dominated by drugs and Escobar and the FARC, this booko nurtures those everyday Bogotanos who lived through the 80s and whose lives got broken by wars they didnt choose to fight.
A very real novel with deep emotional roots in Colombian history and Colombian people. The explorations into personal and national trauma are very hard-hitting and sometimes tragic.
Vasquez just objectively Is a Good Writer. Dumb thing to say but He Writes Very Good Sentences haha and he brings a lot of life and direction to each page and does an amazingly slick job of pulling all his odd images and details together. Shit's like silk. Real Class yknow.
Sometimes tho he gets too gassed on himself and goes on unnecessary tangents sayin shit like 'and the beans of life were baked as they ever were, and orange spots of time did sputter on my shoe' (idk that's made up I couldnt think of an exact example lol). hOwever, I'm willing to give him some allowances here as the protagonist whose pov this is written from is kinda a dickhead and would absolutely say nonsense like that. Intentional? Who knows, but I dont think that kind of knobbery happened in his other book The Informers (which slaps and everyone should read).
Also didnt Love the extended like 100page flashback that stopped the rhythm pretty dead and felt a little... pedestrian? Uncharged? Is that a thing? But I get it wasnt necessarily there for The Plot but to dive more into Colombia's very difficult history.
And that's the big boi focus of this here novel really, a heartfelt look back at a wounded country, on the other side of its worst years of conflict. In a discourse dominated by drugs and Escobar and the FARC, this booko nurtures those everyday Bogotanos who lived through the 80s and whose lives got broken by wars they didnt choose to fight.
krtlszlv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kbarbin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0