Sebastian Rodriguez

4.5, Zambra, no se si está vez me llegaste a lo más profundo de mi ser - fue como compartir una botella de vino con un amigo a quien no veo hace años mientras comparamos notas y observaciones de ser padres. No quise terminar este libro, leí más lento a medida que menos hojas quedaban, no quería que se terminara la conversación.

“Los apellidos son prosa, los nombres poesía. Hay quienes se pasan la vida leyendo la novela irremediable del apellido. Pero en el nombre laten caprichos, intenciones, prejuicios, contingencias, emociones. Y suele ser la única obra que la madre y el padre escriben juntos.”

3.5ish/4. Captivating, fast read. Def. A good set of short dystopian stories that are packed with complex dynamics of relationships, immigration and so much more.

It started with the preview, and 2 days later I found myself completely engulfed in all these feelings. Time is harsh, cruel and yet so wise. A relationship as strong as the ones we share with our parents could be just as fragile as those memories. And the author shared it all - smells, taste, small acts of kindness - at times without the need to process but just to get out into the world.

A 3.5 on the verge of 4.

A captivating story that at times eerily - the author reminds us of the fragile earth we live in and the even more fragile human element to it. A social critique, a love story - all intertwined in a dystopian future which feels more real than not.

“We all die. We have only the choice, if we are privileged, of whether death comes with a whimper or a bang; of what worlds we taste before we go.”

What an instant iconic book. Everything from the deeper and complex character construction, to expanding the literary world in which its based. This may be based on our past but so eerily familiar of our present. This book itself defies itself from any perception.

Even as someone who hasn't read Huckleberry Finn in a long time - you don't need to - to understand that this book is the ultimate companion and must read.

“With my pencil, I wrote myself into being. I wrote myself to here.”