Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - 2666

Oh my god

I'm going to have to come back later and review this more fully after I have more time to digest everything. I don't know how to rate something like this.

A diary of total breakdown - academic, personal, artistic, legal, moral, discursive collapse of modern society. There's some respite and hope in huddling together and embracing the small pleasures of the senses, but not a ton. I'm reminded a lot of Delany's Dhalgren and Anzaldua's Borderlands. I'm left facing the ghost of Christmas future; is this a picture of what will be, or what may be?

Also all the true crime podcast listeners need to read this, especially the part about the crimes (one of the only sections of a novel I had to put down entirely).

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loryyyy's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

4.5

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emi98's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.75

THIS WAS SO INSANE I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD GET THROUGH IT. I loved some parts and others I literally just went (static noise). I thought the prose was great and the character cast is next level interesting.

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camz's review against another edition

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slow-paced

1.5

Lo pude haber disfrutado hace 5 años, pero en este pudo de mi vida la única razón por la que lo terminé es para quitarlo de mi lista de pendientes.

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themysteriouserk's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Though it’s often considered unfinished due to Bolaño’s death, and though it’s so often found on the shelves of people who just want to look like they’re smarter than you, it’s in my opinion one of the greatest novels ever written. Its often absolutely repulsive subject matter definitely means it’s not a book for everyone, but also makes the terror of imperialism and the complicity of ordinary people in terrible violence feel real and close in a way few other books manage.

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