Reviews

I asked myself the following question: Why then, on that particular night, did a guest who lost his way find that poor man? The answer was simple: Because, with time, vigilance tends to relax, because all horrors are dulled by routine. I asked myself the following question: Why didn't anyone say anything at the time? The answer was simple: Because they were afraid. I was not afraid. I would have been able to speak out, but I didn't see anything. I didn't know until it was too late.

lbykes's review against another edition

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5.0

Bolaño’s shorter stuff usually doesn’t reach the same highs for me as his longer novels, but this hit just as hard as The Savage Detectives and 2666 (two of my favorite novels). Maybe because it’s condensed to one perspective but nonetheless expansive, covering huge shifts in life and history in a couple paragraphs? The long long sentences are dense and create passages I find profoundly beautiful even with a repellent character.

gretacarrara's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kolymaarasto's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

ella_kate's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

2.0

I don’t think I’m smart enough to understand this book

sam_bizar_wilcox's review against another edition

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3.0

I am whelmed by this. I think what makes Bolaño's work enduring to some is precisely why I didn't latch onto it: the novel, though brief, is meandering. Which makes for moments of supreme beauty; but it makes for moments that can also be tedious or tiring to get through. I feel like the dying thoughts of a narrator should be convoluted, but I also feel like the reason this novel seems so enduring is partially because its readers reflect only on the parts they found memorable, not the chaff in between.

lucas_bitencourt's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated

4.5

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