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siria's review
2.0
At best mediocre. I simply couldn't suspend my disbelief at the underlying conceit of the novel, and the prose and characterisation were too weak and ham-fisted to compensate for that. Also, Somoza appears to have a grasp of Plato's theories which I would find weak in a first year undergraduate—ironic in a book which seems designed as a showpiece for how clever the author is.
okenwillow's review against another edition
5.0
J’ai eu du mal à choisir ma lecture après avoir lu Clara et la pénombre, j’ai donc fait simple en ne prenant pas de risque, et en lisant un autre Somoza. Cette fois il nous expédie à Athènes, où l’on croise un Hercule Poirot antique et Platon, rien de moins. Tout commence par la mort d’un éphèbe, et l’inquiétude de son mentor qui s’interroge sur les derniers jours de son jeune élève. Il fait appel aux services d’Héraclés Pontor (ahah !), Déchiffreur d’énigmes, un homme sympathique mais peu enclin aux émotions et fervent adepte de la Raison et de la Logique. L’enquête est parsemée de notes de bas de page, toutes de la main du traducteur qui travaille sur La caverne des idées. Il nous fait part de ses réflexions, nombreuses, sur ce texte qu’il soupçonne de dissimuler un autre sens par le biais d’un procédé littéraire inventé par les auteurs grecs nommé éidésis, (imaginé pour la circonstance par ce petit plaisantin de Somoza). Le traducteur ne tarde pas à être obsédé par ce qu’il imagine être la clé du récit, et dérange parfois le lecteur avec ses élucubrations. La construction du récit est originale et risquée, mais on est vite pris par le délire apparent du traducteur et on finit par rentrer dans son jeu. L’enquête d’Héraclès d’un côté, les interventions du traducteur de l’autre, tout s’imbrique sur plusieurs niveaux, jusqu’à la résolution de ce qui, malgré un fond philosophique assez profond, est une véritable enquête policière. Mais que dire de la conclusion du traducteur ? A-t-il trouvé la clé ? Trop en dire sur ce roman (encore) hors norme de Somoza serait criminel.
sea_bream's review against another edition
4.0
Somoza ne sait pas écrire de personnages féminins. On s'en rend compte déjà avec Clara et la pénombre mais là, cela devient absurde. Je crois que je n'ai plus l'habitude de lire des bouquins écrits par des mecs cis, mais bon, c'était pour mon club lecture alors je l'ai fait.
La structure du roman lui-même est très intéressante, le recours au procédés de réalités alternées aussi (surtout quand on comprend le fin mot de l'histoire, twist étonnant que je n'ai pas vu venir, alors que j'avais deviné pas mal de choses assez vite). Les implications philosophiques ont réveillé de vieilles angoisses en moi par contre ahah. Le ressenti général est ambivalent, d'un côté je ne peux que saluer l'adresse de cette construction très méta, qui mêle brillamment thriller et philosophie et de l'autre, le fait que ce soit avant tout un exercice de style, une démonstration m'a rebuté pendant une grosse partie de ma lecture.
La structure du roman lui-même est très intéressante, le recours au procédés de réalités alternées aussi (surtout quand on comprend le fin mot de l'histoire, twist étonnant que je n'ai pas vu venir, alors que j'avais deviné pas mal de choses assez vite). Les implications philosophiques ont réveillé de vieilles angoisses en moi par contre ahah. Le ressenti général est ambivalent, d'un côté je ne peux que saluer l'adresse de cette construction très méta, qui mêle brillamment thriller et philosophie et de l'autre, le fait que ce soit avant tout un exercice de style, une démonstration m'a rebuté pendant une grosse partie de ma lecture.
lazygal's review
2.0
This mystery tried so very hard to be clever, but honestly? More trying and less clever. It also brought to mind Sophie's World, with the supposed translator becoming a part of the book but perhaps more of a literary device than a real character.
Ostensibly this is an ancient Greek text about the murders of a few young boy/men in Athens, students at Plato's Academy yet also partaking of the arts (forbidden by the Academy) and Heracles is a "Decipherer of Enigmas" asked to find out what really happened. Then there's the translator of the original into Italian, Montalo, who apparently went mad at the end of his life and may have been killed in the same manner as the first death. Finally, there's the modern day translator who realizes that this is an eidetic novel, goes somewhat mad, is kidnapped and finally written out of the text by the original writer. Confused yet?
There is a lot going on, and quite a bit about what life was like in Athens at the time of the "original" murders. For lovers of literature and literary devices there's also much to chew on (although "eidesis" is not a real literary device - I checked). The problem is that there's almost too much going on and, as I said, the author is trying to be too clever.
Ostensibly this is an ancient Greek text about the murders of a few young boy/men in Athens, students at Plato's Academy yet also partaking of the arts (forbidden by the Academy) and Heracles is a "Decipherer of Enigmas" asked to find out what really happened. Then there's the translator of the original into Italian, Montalo, who apparently went mad at the end of his life and may have been killed in the same manner as the first death. Finally, there's the modern day translator who realizes that this is an eidetic novel, goes somewhat mad, is kidnapped and finally written out of the text by the original writer. Confused yet?
There is a lot going on, and quite a bit about what life was like in Athens at the time of the "original" murders. For lovers of literature and literary devices there's also much to chew on (although "eidesis" is not a real literary device - I checked). The problem is that there's almost too much going on and, as I said, the author is trying to be too clever.
alondonreader's review
5.0
If I had to write a blurb for this book, I'd be tempted to use phrases like "Ingenious" and "Highly original."
In this murder mystery, the game is afoot. Literally. There's the story of a series of killings in ancient Greece, being investigated by the "decipherer of enigmas" known as Heracles Pontor (a tribute, I suspect, to another famous detective who shares those initials). But there's another unfolding in the footnotes of the translator working on it.
The translator believes the original text deploys an ancient literary device known as eidesis, whereby the author makes use of repeated metaphors and imagery as a way of transmitting secret messages. The more he translates, the more he obsesses with finding the hidden message, and even starts seeing eerie resemblances to his own life. Is he being paranoid or is there something more going on?
It's an inherently meta exercise, reading the story of a translator working on an ancient Greek murder mystery, written by a Cuban author living in Spain and translated into English by Sonia Soto (in real life). At certain points, I thought the author was writing himself into a corner, but there is in fact a satisfying conclusion to the multiple narratives.
This was a more complex and thought-provoking read than I was expecting, blending history, politics and philosophy (particularly Platonic ideals) into a murder mystery. It's also a meditation on the relationship between the reader and the book, the translator and the translated.
In this murder mystery, the game is afoot. Literally. There's the story of a series of killings in ancient Greece, being investigated by the "decipherer of enigmas" known as Heracles Pontor (a tribute, I suspect, to another famous detective who shares those initials). But there's another unfolding in the footnotes of the translator working on it.
The translator believes the original text deploys an ancient literary device known as eidesis, whereby the author makes use of repeated metaphors and imagery as a way of transmitting secret messages. The more he translates, the more he obsesses with finding the hidden message, and even starts seeing eerie resemblances to his own life. Is he being paranoid or is there something more going on?
It's an inherently meta exercise, reading the story of a translator working on an ancient Greek murder mystery, written by a Cuban author living in Spain and translated into English by Sonia Soto (in real life). At certain points, I thought the author was writing himself into a corner, but there is in fact a satisfying conclusion to the multiple narratives.
This was a more complex and thought-provoking read than I was expecting, blending history, politics and philosophy (particularly Platonic ideals) into a murder mystery. It's also a meditation on the relationship between the reader and the book, the translator and the translated.
jusaoirse's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sandratammaru's review
4.0
Dont usually read thrillers but wow this ome was just... i dont even know what to say. When it concluded i was so gobsmacked - such an original and enthralling story