Scan barcode
A review by diandrouspetrocosmea
Navidad & Matanza by Carlos Labbé
3.0
I received this novel as a Goodreads First Read prize. My rating is more towards a 3.25 or 3.5 out of five stars.
Which story is true: that of the trapped test subjects writing a novel-game as they await an unknown fate, or that of the journalist on the trail of disappearances? This experimental mystery centers around the mysterious rage drug “hadón,” which gives it a vague genre edge. Aside from the deadly fits of fury, other desires amongst characters are comparably repressed, hinted at with images and speculated upon by the narrator(s).
Subtle perspective and voice changes sneak up on the reader, although whether they come from separate characters is up for debate. The voice(s) also seem overwhelmingly male, middle-class, and educated; which has basis in the plot but can be limited in how the female characters are portrayed. Each chapter is numbered, with jumps in numbers suggesting missing installments. As translated from Spanish by Will Vanderhyden, the prose is also spare, describing with strong voice and momentum in some passages. These empty drops and inconclusiveness in stories echo the holes and lack of complete knowledge surrounding real-life disappearances in Chile.
There’s another theme about how games, imagination, and recreation can become tools for serious conspiracy or disruption. Some readers would find the book frustrating, and I’m not sure this experiment is 100% successful. However, the puzzle as well as the atmosphere of Navidad & Matanza lingered in my mind long after reading this slim book.
Which story is true: that of the trapped test subjects writing a novel-game as they await an unknown fate, or that of the journalist on the trail of disappearances? This experimental mystery centers around the mysterious rage drug “hadón,” which gives it a vague genre edge. Aside from the deadly fits of fury, other desires amongst characters are comparably repressed, hinted at with images and speculated upon by the narrator(s).
Subtle perspective and voice changes sneak up on the reader, although whether they come from separate characters is up for debate. The voice(s) also seem overwhelmingly male, middle-class, and educated; which has basis in the plot but can be limited in how the female characters are portrayed. Each chapter is numbered, with jumps in numbers suggesting missing installments. As translated from Spanish by Will Vanderhyden, the prose is also spare, describing with strong voice and momentum in some passages. These empty drops and inconclusiveness in stories echo the holes and lack of complete knowledge surrounding real-life disappearances in Chile.
There’s another theme about how games, imagination, and recreation can become tools for serious conspiracy or disruption. Some readers would find the book frustrating, and I’m not sure this experiment is 100% successful. However, the puzzle as well as the atmosphere of Navidad & Matanza lingered in my mind long after reading this slim book.