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A review by cpbindel
The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
How many people had to disappear in order for global capitalism to dominate South America?
This book conveys the irreality that comes from living under a state that regularly disappears family and friends, living in a neighborhood where the house next door could be a torture center, or living a “normal life” only by betraying friends by reporting their organizing to the police. Popular media from the Avengers to Frankenstein to Back to the Future to The Twilight Zone are woven in and around the narrator’s tale in a way that heightens the feeling of confusion and dismay at the omissions and violence of a military dictatorship.
This book is particularly powerful in its focus on one character, “The Man Who Tortured People,” and his complex moral position throughout his confession his flight out of the country and his quiet lifelong witness to his participation in his country’s crimes against its own citizens.
This book conveys the irreality that comes from living under a state that regularly disappears family and friends, living in a neighborhood where the house next door could be a torture center, or living a “normal life” only by betraying friends by reporting their organizing to the police. Popular media from the Avengers to Frankenstein to Back to the Future to The Twilight Zone are woven in and around the narrator’s tale in a way that heightens the feeling of confusion and dismay at the omissions and violence of a military dictatorship.
This book is particularly powerful in its focus on one character, “The Man Who Tortured People,” and his complex moral position throughout his confession his flight out of the country and his quiet lifelong witness to his participation in his country’s crimes against its own citizens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, and Torture