A review by parib
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was the first work by Bolano I had read. It took a little while for me to settle into this dreamy, freewheeling stream-of-consciousness approach, but once it clicked it was one addictive rollercoaster of a novel. Unlike anything I had read before or since. I'd describe it as a postmodern odyssey through Latin America, and more generally through the world of literature. Bolano creates a nuanced profile of the politics/social landscape of the art world at a staggering scale. Fixates and fascinates itself with the mundane moments and incongruencies of modern life in a way that almost makes them feel fantastical. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in postmodern literature, as long as you're comfortable with something freewheeling, open-ended, and which doesn't answer any obligation to explain itself for you
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