The Art of War

The Savage Detectives
Roberto Bolaño
Picador

For almost a month now, I have been reading the same book -- Roberto Bolaño's The Savage Detectives. You would think that after having spent so much time with this novel, I'd have something interesting to say. Well, while I hate to disappoint, I'm afraid that this one is beyond me. Believe it or not, I actually had an easier time reading Joyce's Ulysses.

From a "plot" perspective, the story is about two Latin American poets hanging out in Mexico (and elsewhere around the world) during the mid to late seventies. Both men seem to be in pursuit of some intellectual ideal and are trying to establish a poetic movement called "visceral realism". Ulises Lima and Arturo Belano, the somewhat absent main characters, are inexplicably charismatic and are a constant jumble of writings, thoughts and big ideas.

In some ways, I think this novel was brilliant. There were at least twenty narrators who collectively manage to tell the "story". The middle section of the books is a series of interviews with characters who talk about Ulises and Arturo -- you never actually hear from them directly. The first and third sections of the book are narrated by a slightly naive, very ardent law student turned poet, Juan Garcia Madero. He is so passionate, so utterly exploding with emotion that it made the novel, in parts, a joy to read. Three decadent libertines out of five.

MizUnderstood

Emma's Table
Philip Galanes
Harper

Imagine my revulsion when, a few pages into the novel, I realized that the author had ripped the "heroine" right out of the headlines. Emma Sutton is a sixty something convicted felon who, having done her time for tax evasion, is trying to get her groove back. The face (although no longer head) of her home design empire, Emma's got a regular spot on Oprah, a line of housewares at Target, and a beautifully decorated apartment with a spectacular view of Central Park. Um, yeah. I must have been having a serious blonde moment when I pulled this one from the table. I mean, really -- do I seem like a Martha Stewart girl to you?

Much to my surprise, this book is actually a winner. While a good portion of the narrative directly relates to Emma and her realization that she needs to change, there are a number of subplots that involve other characters that are equally engaging. By the end of the novel, Galanes masterfully combines all of the storylines into a single climactic scene and contrary to my expectation, not everything gets wrapped up like a parcel under a tree. Galanes characters are all flawed in some way, but every single one of them also has some redemptive qualities that manage to shine through their frailties. At the end of the day, this book was a heart-warming read and not nearly as saccharine as the cover implies. Three frosted cupcakes out of five.