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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
thoroughly enjoyed the writing, too bad it was all exposition
The magical realism reminds me of murakami, so does the weird writing about a 15 year old girl. Couldn’t get over it.
mysterious
medium-paced
Almost gave it two stars. Lumpy and aimless, Aira seems to want this story to be about too many things at once - and so takes it too many directions at once, until it suddenly decides it actually is indeed a ghost story about 30 pages from the end and starts to up the tension. That said, Aira (and of course Andrews' translation) has a way with words and ideas, so there's some nice one-liners and interesting thoughts. I just don't think the overall novel was very cohesive. Luckily it's only 140 pages.
Dull philosophical novel with unsurprising ending...
challenging
mysterious
reflective
4 stars because i'm not sure I understand everything he's trying to say right now (just finished). This is a compact little novel. I really love Aira's dream-state writing - he really creates a mood. Would recommend reading this in one (ish) sitting.
Very interesting and strange novel. I love the setting: an unfinished apartment building, which is still under construction so the walls open to the air, and each floor is like a skeleton. I love the way the ghosts interact with the family that lives there, on the top floor, and the metaphysical, surreal tone of the characters' thoughts and conversations. The tone overall reminded me of the movie, "Last Year at Marienbad." Right in the middle of the novel, there's also an amazing essay on architecture.