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veronicafrance 's review for:
Le monarque des ombres
by Javier Cercas
It's a book group book, but I'm abandoning it barely 100 pages in. Cercas is a very successful writer in Spain, and this is the first book of his I've tried. Unutterable tedium. Cercas has been considering for some years writing a book about the life of his great-uncle Manuel, dead at 19 fighting for Franco at the Battle of the Ebro.
First he meditates on whether to write the book. Then he has lunch with a friend and they discuss whether he should write it. Then they decide to travel to the village in Extremadura where Cercas was born, to interview one of the few people who remember Manuel. There follows a detailed account of their journey -- the route they took, dropping children off at dance class and football, the cafe where they had lunch ... during lunch they discuss whether Cercas should write the book.
Spoiler: he did, and it's 300 pages long.
First he meditates on whether to write the book. Then he has lunch with a friend and they discuss whether he should write it. Then they decide to travel to the village in Extremadura where Cercas was born, to interview one of the few people who remember Manuel. There follows a detailed account of their journey -- the route they took, dropping children off at dance class and football, the cafe where they had lunch ... during lunch they discuss whether Cercas should write the book.
Spoiler: he did, and it's 300 pages long.