... mesmerizing ... Saavedra brilliantly plays with the epistolary form, crafting the letters into a story-within-a-story ... The erotic storyline peels away to reveal the author’s underlying preoccupation: the chasm of miscommunication between men and women ... It’s a testament to Saavedra’s daring that she explores our desires panoramically, careful not to judge. The novel is both visceral and spare, stitched with motifs ... the novel startles with the inevitability of fate. Obsessive love is a theme as old as the Iliad, but here Saavedra gives it her own enigmatic twist, joining the ranks of Latin American authors who are transforming our literary landscape in vivid, thrilling ways.
It was a bit disturbing ... the storyline was very interesting, but the plot fell apart in the end. It was quite unsatisfying. I don’t know if it is because this was originally written in a foreign language and then translated, or if the ending really was this dry. In either case, this book offers a great storyline that led to nowhere.
... [an] unsettling whirlpool of a read ... Saavedra’s writing, particularly in the raw and vulnerable epistles, feels relentless and evocative in Hahn’s translation and creates intensity inside this tale shaped by characters strongly preoccupied with words and meaning. Thematically layered and psychologically demanding, this is a book for readers willing to explore uneasy relationship dynamics.
Saavedra has produced an intense, beautifully nuanced examination of obsessive love gone seriously wrong and the psychological roadblocks that stand in the way of healing, though an abrupt, ambiguous ending may unsettle some readers.
... captivating ... In chapters alternating between letters and Marcos’s reactions, Saavedra steadily unveils the darkness permeating the lives of her protagonists, and in doing so creates a literary psychological thriller that questions what is real and what is imagined. This tale of desire and yearning is impossible to put down.
While Saavedra’s sparse writing style may be polarizing, the novel’s themes reward rereading—particularly the refrains that echo in both Marcos’ thoughts and A.’s letters ... Unfortunately, the abrupt ending leaves readers with more than a few nagging questions of their own ... A sparse novel about desire, abuse, and gender.
