A review by dama_1505
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

5.0

This book was given to me as a gift so it's not one I would have sought out myself. However, I am so glad I read it. It is one of the most incredible, mind-boggling and rewarding books I have read. It's always a good sign that I'm still thinking about the book days after finishing it. As well as painting a vital and visceral view of Mexican City literature scene in the 1970s, exploring the ideas of lost youth and idealism, disappointments with life, the book is tremendous in its construct of using multiple narrative voices spanning 20 years (apparently 56 but I didn't count!), across multiple countries to weave the story of the missing protagonists of Arturo Belano and Ulises Lima. I thought I would find it immensely confusing but somehow it works. The different voices come alive so it feels like I'm listening to a 'detective' interviewing all these characters to help paint a picture of what happened to Arturo and Ulises, while also discovering these characters foibles, adventures, disappointments in the middle of the changing landscape of literature, politics, society. Bolano has really made these voices come alive, in all their variations so much so the words jumped off the pages and into my ears. This is truly a remarkable book that deserves your patience and attention.