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natreadsthings 's review for:
The Spirit of Science Fiction
by Roberto Bolaño
Published after Bolaño's death, The Spirit of Science Fiction is a beautifully written novel about youth, Mexico City and the written word. Two young poets find themselves in Mexico City desperately trying to find their place among the literary sphere. Bolaño alternates between showing us 21-year-old Remo's adventures in the city with showing us the letters his 17-year-old roommate Jan writes to his beloved science fiction authors from the comfort of their small room, which he rarely leaves.
My first Bolaño! This was written in such an interesting way. I found myself falling for the writing style, which at times reminded me of what I adore about Jack Kerouac's way of writing, but unfortunately I don't think the narrative choices always resulted in the most engaging story and I was bored for a lot of it. Despite how short this was, the moment you fell out of the story a bit it was terribly hard returning to it, even though the prose was beautiful. I found it hard figuring the characters out and got the shock of my life when I realized how young they were. Trust me, it's worth reading for the gist of it, but I think because Bolaño never did go through the motions of getting this published while he was still alive, it might have resulted in it not being as finished as one would like. It lacked a coherency and won't necessarily leave readers satisfied by the end of it if you're looking for something that feels completed. Perhaps this was more a collection of memories than a story, in which case makes it feel more intentional.
My first Bolaño! This was written in such an interesting way. I found myself falling for the writing style, which at times reminded me of what I adore about Jack Kerouac's way of writing, but unfortunately I don't think the narrative choices always resulted in the most engaging story and I was bored for a lot of it. Despite how short this was, the moment you fell out of the story a bit it was terribly hard returning to it, even though the prose was beautiful. I found it hard figuring the characters out and got the shock of my life when I realized how young they were. Trust me, it's worth reading for the gist of it, but I think because Bolaño never did go through the motions of getting this published while he was still alive, it might have resulted in it not being as finished as one would like. It lacked a coherency and won't necessarily leave readers satisfied by the end of it if you're looking for something that feels completed. Perhaps this was more a collection of memories than a story, in which case makes it feel more intentional.