Divisadero

I like when an author switches from one perspective/narrator to another, and then successfully weaves them together to make a whole story. The key to this is the successful weaving part, though, and this is where “Divisadero” fails the most for me. Also, I prefer a plot, story arc, and a pretty high verb to adjective ratio, none of which did this book have. It was more a collection of vignettes, yet they didn't all come together to make something more than the sum of their parts like a good collection should. (An excellent example of vignettes coming together to make more than the sum of their parts is “The House on Mango Street” - super good read.)

This book was the July selection for my book club, and after talking it over and hearing their interpretations I actually have a much more positive view of this book than when I had first finished reading it. They discussed themes of loneliness and divisions (“divisaderos”), poetry disguised as prose, and the human need for closure. All these ideas are very tied to this book, yet did not become obvious to me until others pointed them out. Hearing the book clubbers talk about these themes was enjoyable, but reading this book was not.

The writing is beautiful and free of sharp edges, but the book is about feeling and not events (which by no means implies that nothing happens in this book because a lot does happen). It's a fairly introspective read and it leaves you with incomplete stories (aren't all stories incomplete any ways?). If you're looking to give yourself a bit of a bluesy moodiness on a beautiful afternoon this book will do the trick nicely.
I realize that my review makes it sound as if I didn't like the book and perhaps I didn't in a certain way but I still found it an enjoyable read, if that sentence made sense to you, you'll probably enjoy this book.