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A review by ajkhn
The Third Reich by Roberto Bolaño
4.0
Much like Burmese Days, there's a lot of this book that really oozes "first novel" in some inelegant ways. It's a plodder, and there's not much actually *happening* in it, to be honest.
But that doesn't mean it's not worth reading. It's fun seeing how Bolano puzzles through the diary style of it, and exciting to see how the protagonist fall into doom. Things get dreadful and gothic rather wonderfully, and the ending too is both unexpected and great.
I picked this up randomly as a vacation novel because it takes place on a vacation. It wasn't quite what I expected (or at all what I expected) but I really enjoyed it. There's plenty to critique: wooden characters, a lack of steady atmosphere, and a need of a stronger editor presence. But what is there is really intriguing and good for long stretches of reading. Check it out sometime, it was enjoyable and interesting to puzzle along with Bolano in.
But that doesn't mean it's not worth reading. It's fun seeing how Bolano puzzles through the diary style of it, and exciting to see how the protagonist fall into doom. Things get dreadful and gothic rather wonderfully, and the ending too is both unexpected and great.
I picked this up randomly as a vacation novel because it takes place on a vacation. It wasn't quite what I expected (or at all what I expected) but I really enjoyed it. There's plenty to critique: wooden characters, a lack of steady atmosphere, and a need of a stronger editor presence. But what is there is really intriguing and good for long stretches of reading. Check it out sometime, it was enjoyable and interesting to puzzle along with Bolano in.