Samanta Schweblin's collection includes stories from Argentina that begin with ordinary life, then turn strange. In one, a teenage girl is found eating live birds, to the horror of her parents. In another, a woman cuts herself off from her family, and in a third, a house develops a threatening quality. The stories are short and leave much unspoken, with a mood of dread. Her first book, it was translated into English by Megan McDowell and brought her attention outside the Spanish-speaking world.
Readers who like unsettling short fiction and the work of Latin American authors such as Cortázar will find a sharp, strange first collection.
Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2009
- Language
- EN
