Simpatía

I had been looking for a book specifically from Venezuela for the StoryGraph Reads the World challenge, but pickings seemed slim. But I saw this recommended on Instagram, and while there were a few things in the description that gave me pause, I picked it up at the library and ended up glad that I did.

The novel follows Ulises, a man who was once a professor, but whose main responsibility now is executing the wish of his recently deceased father-in-law to transform his home and property into a shelter for abandoned dogs. As complicated as this task might be on it own, the will establishes a deadline for the transformation to be complete, and there are plenty of folks providing additional obstacles – most notably his estranged wife, show more who thinks she should have inherited both her father’s home and the apartment that she and Ulises used to live in, but also a number of corrupt officials and interested parties who, in the crumbling Venezuelan state, will take advantage of any possible leverage to extort some benefit to themselves.

In the background of all this are the dogs. Dogs being abandoned as their owners flee the violence and chaos that Venezuela is descending into. Dogs being abused for having the poor fortune to belong to someone of a differing political position. Dogs that may or may not be related to a dog once owned by revered political figures of the past. Dogs that are so much easier to love than people with their complicated and obscured motivations. Dogs that are also so much easier to harm.

Not all of the dogs are going to live through this book.

There are plenty of interesting men in this book, though the women characters (in my opinion) are not so great. Inscrutable, tragic or harpies, always viewed from the outside, none of them really get a voice here. But I did enjoy that Ulises, while he never seems to be doing much at all, manages to evade or triumph over corruption and complete his mission in the end. I enjoyed the partial picture of Venezuela that this book portrays. show less

International Booker Longlist 2024

This novel brings together Venezuelan history, modern Caracas and Venezuelan politics, and a cast of characters who are all Venezuelan, but all of different origins. I really enjoyed this—it is very interesting, from the dogs abandoned as people with means leave the country, to those that stay to either take advantage of the situation or try to help. The characters are all interesting, the families do different and mysterious.

I also found it quite confusing and I am certain I missed things. I am not a fan of open endings like this one—what did he see in the bottom of the cup? Was his “first short story” not a story but his subconscious telling him what he knows to be true? But what is that? Is show more Paul or the younger Aponte the guilty party? Argh.

Yet, I still liked it. I think my 3rd favorite of the Longlist (I have 2 left to read!). show less