A review by nessondorma
Pesta di Sarang Kelinci by Juan Pablo Villalobos

4.25

“Begitulah yang Yolcaut bilang, bahwa orang-orang berpendidikan tahu banyak soal buku tapi tidak tahu sama sekali soal kehidupan.”

Finally had a chance to read it in one sit when I was supposed to do it about two weeks ago right after I finished Gagal Menjadi Manusia.

Written by Juan Pablo Villalobos, Pesta di Sarang Kelinci might be the first North American literature I’ve ever read and I think I’ll read more. This is that one novella which the number of the dialogues can be easily counted yet each sentence is perfectly conveyed.

I’m not very sure how to describe why I love this novella but there’s something in the way Juan Pablo Villalobos wrote about violence, gangland warfare, and drugs from the perspective of a seven year old little boy that got me mezmerized and horrified at the exact same time. The sardonic humor was pitch-perfect and Tochtli is absolutely not your average child protagonist. In other words, this novella is so good even in the translation version. And, oh, Villalobos also has a creative naming for each characters.