Camanchaca
by Diego Zúñiga
On This Page
Description
"A long drive across Chile's Atacama desert, traversing "the worn-out puzzle" of a broken family-a young man's corrosive intimacy with his mother, the obtrusive cheer of his absentee father, his uncle's unexplained death-occupies the heart of this novel. Camanchaca is a low fog pushing in from the sea, its moisture sustaining a near-barren landscape. Camanchaca is the discretion that makes a lifelong grief possible. Sometimes, the silences are what bind us. Diego Zu n iga (born 1987) is a show more Chilean author and journalist. He is the author of two novels and the recipient of the Juegos Literarios Gabriela Mistral and the Chilean National Book and Reading Council Award. He lives in Santiago de Chile. Megan McDowell's translations include books by Alejandro Zambra, Arturo Fontaine, Lina Meruane, and Mariana Enriquez, and have been published in the New Yorker, the Paris Review, Tin House, and McSweeney's, among others. She lives in Santiago, Chile"-- show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I'm always on the lookout for books set in South America, which is the main reason why I picked up this 128-page novella. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop, but I'll warn you right now that Camanchaca isn't going to be to everyone's taste.
Many of the chapters are only one page or even just one paragraph long, and that fit the story. It reminded me of night travels by car as a child when I would rest my head against the window and wait for the illumination of a street light, then be plunged into darkness only to wait for the next street light. The boy has similar flashes of insight as he and his father travel through the night.
Some of those flashes of insight are quite powerful, and when I reached the end of this swiftly told tale, show more I almost wished it could go on. Camanchaca is different, and it's good. show less
Many of the chapters are only one page or even just one paragraph long, and that fit the story. It reminded me of night travels by car as a child when I would rest my head against the window and wait for the illumination of a street light, then be plunged into darkness only to wait for the next street light. The boy has similar flashes of insight as he and his father travel through the night.
Some of those flashes of insight are quite powerful, and when I reached the end of this swiftly told tale, show more I almost wished it could go on. Camanchaca is different, and it's good. show less
A very quick read by a Chilean writer. This is more novella than novel, or a long short story, with a page for each "episode".
A 20-year-old man narrates time spent with his mother, his grandfather, his father and his new family, his memories of childhood, his dying dog, and his greatest love/need--food. As his father alternately rejects and welcomes him, as his mother struggles with supporting him, he eats a month's worth of university food coupons in a week. And he acts more like a 15-year-old than a 20-year-old.
The geographic details are interesting--I ended up on googlemaps to see the places mentioned.
A 20-year-old man narrates time spent with his mother, his grandfather, his father and his new family, his memories of childhood, his dying dog, and his greatest love/need--food. As his father alternately rejects and welcomes him, as his mother struggles with supporting him, he eats a month's worth of university food coupons in a week. And he acts more like a 15-year-old than a 20-year-old.
The geographic details are interesting--I ended up on googlemaps to see the places mentioned.
De mist trekt slechts in flarden op in deze fragmentarische, gebalde en ingenieuze roman en komt op de laatste pagina al meteen weer opzetten. Een jongeman, kind van gescheiden ouders, komt er tijdens een reis in etappes met zijn vader en bij een bezoek aan zijn grootvader, niet toe om te vragen naar banale zaken als het kopen van kleren, maar ook andere zaken: de dood van een oom, het waarom van de echtscheiding. Herinneringen, moeizame gesprekken, verwijten heen en weer... alles wat uit het verleden komt priemen, heeft weerhaken en stelt eisen die misschien liever niet ingewilligd worden. Schrijver om in de gaten te houden.
Jun 14, 2017Dutch
Remarquable premier court roman de ce jeune auteur chilien.
Un adolescent est tiraillé entre ses deux parents séparés et l'auteur utilise ce tiraillement jusque dans la présentation de son roman, une page où son personnage nous parle de sa mère avec en vis-à-vis le voyage qu'il accomplit avec son père, d'abord en Argentine, puis après un retour à Santiago, à la frontière péruvienne.
Adolescent engoncé dans son embonpoint protecteur face à une mère qui l'engloutit et un père qui est champion dans l'art de l'esquive.
Belle découverte.
Un adolescent est tiraillé entre ses deux parents séparés et l'auteur utilise ce tiraillement jusque dans la présentation de son roman, une page où son personnage nous parle de sa mère avec en vis-à-vis le voyage qu'il accomplit avec son père, d'abord en Argentine, puis après un retour à Santiago, à la frontière péruvienne.
Adolescent engoncé dans son embonpoint protecteur face à une mère qui l'engloutit et un père qui est champion dans l'art de l'esquive.
Belle découverte.
Feb 6, 2016French
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
6+ Works 104 Members
Awards and Honors
Classifications
- Genres
- General Fiction, Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 863.7 — Literature & rhetoric Spanish, Portuguese, Galician literatures Spanish fiction 21st Century
- LCC
- PQ8098.436 .U55 .C3613 — Language and Literature French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literatures Spanish literature Provincial, local, colonial, etc. Spanish America
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 83
- Popularity
- 381,976
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.70)
- Languages
- 5 — Dutch, English, French, Spanish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 2
