Los ingrávidos

A woman living in Mexico City with her husband and two children is trying to write a novel while caring for her family, and she remembers an earlier time in New York City, when she was alone, translating and writing. Valeria Luiselli tells the story in short fragments, mixing memories, observations on motherhood, poems by the Mexican poet Gilberto Owen, and imagined scenes of the lives of the writer and of other characters. The structure echoes a ghost story, with a sense that the narrator's earlier self still lingers.

Readers who like short, experimental novels about writing and identity will appreciate the book's elegant form. It suits those who enjoy fragments and the blending of fiction and essay.

Deep, inward-looking, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?