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pearloz's review against another edition
4.0
A novel-length paragraph and bitter rant/screed/scream about society in El Salvador, it's no wonder Moya and his family received death threats after its publication in the late 90s. In the style of Thomas Bernhard, whom I've never read, this monologue takes on everything in El Salvador, from corrupt officials and politicians, to the national food, to the narrator's own family. The book is beginning to end angry, angry, angry.
101jun's review against another edition
3.5
Una novela tan expresa y tan potente, con valentía arremete contra todo y contra todos. Un análisis social y político de San Salvador, que bien puede también describir la fotografía de cualquier otro país en Latinoamérica...
nick_jenkins's review against another edition
3.0
A very good imitation of Bernhard, but also a bit superficial, lacking some of the richer emotional heft and intellectual complexity of Bernhard.
nima_nimble's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
emitareads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I appreciate that Castellanos Moya was trying something new by imitating Austrian writer Thomas Bernard, both in style and subject matter, and it's true I've never read anything like this before. But, it started to lose its power very quickly. The whole book is basically the narrator, a guy named Vega, talking or better yet complaining to Moya. By page 25, I was so over the constant whining of the narrator. I get that the repetition is the whole point, but still. It got old real fast.
The text is also so blatantly offensive to San Salvador, its inhabitants, and everything that's related to the country, that it was clearly intencional. Provocative. And also clearly not to be taken to heart. Often times the complaints of our narrator were so ridiculous (Can he please stop hating on the national specialty, las pupusas? Just say it isn’t for you and move on, mate), that I stopped seeing it as offensive and it became whining instead. Every new topic, every new group of people, is the absolute worst thing our narrator has ever encountered. And Moya does imply he's not in agreement. There are several hints of that. So again, this signals to me that we don't have to project the ideas of the narrator onto the author (which a lot of people did do and Moya received death threats for it).
While I appreciate the work as a literary experiment, I didn't particularly enjoy reading it. I got bored halfway through and just stopped caring about what was said, because it was the same complaint over and over. I wouldn't particularly recommend it to anyone, but it is a good book for class discussions.
The text is also so blatantly offensive to San Salvador, its inhabitants, and everything that's related to the country, that it was clearly intencional. Provocative. And also clearly not to be taken to heart. Often times the complaints of our narrator were so ridiculous (Can he please stop hating on the national specialty, las pupusas? Just say it isn’t for you and move on, mate), that I stopped seeing it as offensive and it became whining instead. Every new topic, every new group of people, is the absolute worst thing our narrator has ever encountered. And Moya does imply he's not in agreement. There are several hints of that. So again, this signals to me that we don't have to project the ideas of the narrator onto the author (which a lot of people did do and Moya received death threats for it).
While I appreciate the work as a literary experiment, I didn't particularly enjoy reading it. I got bored halfway through and just stopped caring about what was said, because it was the same complaint over and over. I wouldn't particularly recommend it to anyone, but it is a good book for class discussions.
iammandyellen's review against another edition
4.0
A masterful, powerful, daring little book. Could this conceit be attempted in America on a national level? Or would it have to be more local, by state or by big city?
stacialithub's review against another edition
4.0
As I was reading, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. I'm not familiar with Thomas Bernhard's works so I wasn't familiar with the style that Moya was imitating in his riff & rip of life, people, politics, & about everything else in El Salvador. The entire novella is one long paragraph, often punctuated by commas, & reads as a breathless stream-of-consciousness rant.
But, now that I've spent a little time reading more about this book, learning about Thomas Bernhard's writing style, & mulling over the book (as well as the fact that the author received death threats after publishing it), I am finding it quite a brilliant piece.
When I first read that Moya received death threats, I thought it seemed kind of silly based on the rant-y content -- not something to take so seriously, surely? But the more I think about it, I can see how this book & the threats issuing therewith being *exactly* the point. And if an American writer were to do the same type of book for here in a similar style? I'm guessing that (sadly) some reactions (toward violence) might be the same.
But, now that I've spent a little time reading more about this book, learning about Thomas Bernhard's writing style, & mulling over the book (as well as the fact that the author received death threats after publishing it), I am finding it quite a brilliant piece.
When I first read that Moya received death threats, I thought it seemed kind of silly based on the rant-y content -- not something to take so seriously, surely? But the more I think about it, I can see how this book & the threats issuing therewith being *exactly* the point. And if an American writer were to do the same type of book for here in a similar style? I'm guessing that (sadly) some reactions (toward violence) might be the same.