Marcos has just been through a divorce and feels alienated from his ex-wife, from his daughter, from society. He begins to receive letters at his new address from a troubled woman who signs off as A. and who clearly believes she is writing to the former tenant, her ex-lover, in the aftermath of a violent heartbreak. Marcos falls under the spell of the manic, hypnotic missives and for the first time in years, something moves him.
... 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.
