Dylan Palmer

One of the astonishing pieces of literature that I have come across. It's scale and scope matches a science fiction novel while it's writing contests with the greatest of writers. At times I plodded but then strode through this novel of vivid and dark imaginings and I'm left thinking 'what have i just read?', or is that too shallow of a question.

Bolano is special, his writing pure. It's a tragedy that his talent and life was taken before this was released, particularly as I would have loved to see how he would have wanted this to be printed- in separate parts or as one connected novel? Each part smoothly negotiated with eachother, leaving new crumbs of knowledge littered throughout which became staggering to piece together.

My only qualm is the last part, part 5. The writing was immaculate and the story fantastic, but the complete tonal shift from part 4 where murder was bleak threatened to nearly capsize my growing love for this work. Nevertheless, the last 20 pages saved this for me, but did it feel a little too late? I'm unsure.

Regardless of this, I'm glad I got to appreciate these stories and to read a master at work in Bolano, what a mysterious legacy to leave.

Perhaps the most insightful and layered book I've ever read but one that challenged me in a way that I haven't really seen before. The concept of time and space seemed bewildering and it did truly feel like reading a history of our universe and its components. However, at times I felt at a loss of emotion due to the broad perspective that we experience. As that protagonist in the book experiences a range of bafflement and wonder, this book has made me question a manner of thoughts never truly visted in a book. Although it won't make my top list it is a worthwhile read for any curious person about the context of our little lives in the vast cosmos of being.

I am not sure I fully comprehend the nature of this book. The fractured style, the cutting narratives, the muddled timeliness but it is still provoked a sense of wonder that lingers amongst great Latin American literature. The writing of this story is beautiful and the images provoke an extreme range of emotion, but if only I could understand what was happening that would be fab!

At first I thought this was another great example of Latin America literature but as each story blended into the next one it all emerged for me. I soon saw the desolate nature of the stories and characters, the isolation, the unforgiven nature of the environments and the subtly in which a story can flow from one page to the next. By the end I now had come to the realisation that although these stories seemed simple, Bolaño was the only master who could write them.