3.5
«As for the girl, she lives in an impersonal limbo, without reaching the worst or the best. She just lives, inhaling and exhaling, inhaling and exhaling. Actually - why should she do anything more?»

This was an interesting read! Unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It was chewy, puzzling, seemingly playful but also heavy from seriousness. I kept wondering whether the things being said were deep and wise or just nonsense, and I honestly don’t feel like I can be a fair judge of that. I’d say it depends on what you manage to connect to and take away from the reading experience.

I especially enjoyed the story-within-a-story quality of the beginning, in which the narrator is presenting the story he wants to tell and is struggling to convince both the reader and himself why it is even worth telling. Despite his display of pride, he’s suffering from a strong sense of self-doubt and inferiority complex, in stark contrast to the female character Macabéa at the centre of his story. Unfortunately, I took less interest in the rest of the book where the narrator took a step back to progress on the story itself. Nevertheless, it had its moments!