vaishnavi_jadhav's reviews
28 reviews

Book is hard to get through, the second half is comparatively better. I strongly felt the amount of sex depicted was unnecessary. Besides it's a story about death, grief, mental health and desires of young minds with the background of socio-political changes in late sixtees Japan.

The beginning seemed quite interesting, however as the book progressed it got me more and more confused. One of the main confusion was whether the protagonist César Aira is a boy or a girl ? It could be due to translation, although I believe it's the perception of the character that he refers to himself as a girl whereas others refer to him as a boy. I found the hallucinations and imagination of a six year-old quiet fascinating. The writing is mature yet childish. I believe the biographical part of this book is more about developing the imaginative ability by the author which blurs the lines between fact and fiction.

This book has invoked an irresistible feeling in me: to move to a small town surrounded by nature and start a new life. Perhaps due to this current phase in my life, I enjoyed the book a bit more as it involved lots of outdoor activities, making new friends, learning, and discovering new things.

The setting and plot are so dreamy yet believable. The main characters are written beautifully, instantly making you fall in love with them and rooting for them. It's a breath of fresh air to read a romance that develops naturally out of physical interactions.

However, the book is really slow-paced. Although I enjoy slow-burn romance, this felt a bit long. One more annoying thing I felt about Zapata's writing is that she kept referring to the characters with noun phrases rather than just mentioning their names. Although I liked it initially, it became so repetitive that it started irritating me.

A decent read ... Would like to read more from the author ...

First and foremost, I must say that this is the one book you should read without knowing absolutely anything about its plot or encountering the slightest spoilers. That's the reason why I enjoyed it better, going into it with a clean slate. Secondly, the writing style might be a bit of a struggle and may confuse some readers, as the narrator (Kathy) keeps going back and forth in time and referencing different anecdotes and instances. However, I personally enjoyed the book a bit more because of the way it's structured; it seemed like the main character is actually narrating the story to me in person. It kept me engaged in the progression of the plot and made me curious to know more details.

Okay, so if you're willing to read it, then you must not read this review any further...

The book develops as the three main characters and their friendship evolve from childhood to teenage years to adulthood. It beautifully reflects on the complicated nature of interpersonal relationships among humans. The relatability of the characters comes from the small details that the author has mentioned: habits, fantasies, behaviors, secrets.

The main themes of the book are 'fate' and 'nostalgia' and how we can easily find parallels to these in the real world. How we tend to accept our fate as it is and hardly ever question it or show any resistance; or how we keep reminiscing about old memories and find comfort in knowing that even if we lose our loved ones, we'll always cherish the memories of them. It's a philosophical tragedy that revolves around what it means to be alive as a human, love and friendships, our purpose and destiny, and finally, death. The idea of death is presented as being 'complete,' in a similar way to how in many cultures, we tend to assume death as a final destiny for our soul.

Although it barely scratches the surface of being a proper dystopian sci-fi novel, I was moved by the way it delves into society's ignorance towards disadvantaged people and the contrast between them and the affluent. Overall, a must-read!

100 pages full of wisdom of ancient Chinese philosophy and politics of warfare and military strategy. These strategies remain relevant even after 2500 years. It's one the most important works in East Asian literature. Must read !!