Image: See you at Breakfast? courtesy of Giramondo Publishing.
This short novel is about four people the author ironically describes as ‘not worth writing about’: a frustrated office worker, a middle-aged prostitute reconciled to her profession, a young over-protected woman and a part-time unqualified vet. Of course, the opposite meaning is intended in describing something of the lives of people from a lower middle income group.
By deftly depicting the thoughts and actions of these so-called ‘ordinary’ people – their loves, their hates, their foibles, their dreams, hopes, disappointments, fears and courage – the author brings them dramatically to life. So what they do and what they think becomes very important to the reader. And indeed it should be because most readers will see themselves, their families or their friends and acquaintances confronting many of the situations in which these characters find themselves.
We learn about our four characters through skillfully handled dialogue, descriptions of what the characters are thinking and through partial narration. This mixture can be disastrous if not well executed but Fadanelli handles it with great skill.
A strain of sadness, epitomised by the question mark at the end of the novel’s title, pervades this book, partly because it deals with many of the frustrations of the underprivileged, and partly because there is little to be cheerful about in relation to rape, prostitution and death or, for that matter, hum-drum office work. But a sort of gloom hangs over even the happier episodes of marriage and friendship and neighbourly consideration.
One of the strengths of this novel is the way the lives of the four people, portrayed over a relatively short period of time, criss-cross each other. This helps to round out the characterisation as well as giving the novel a page-turning quality.
So why read this book? Read it because it gives worthwhile insights into the human condition.
‘There is never enough mercy to go around’, muses one of the characters. Another wonders, ‘what is the point of having a shoeshine kit with all the accessories if he never polished his shoes’. A housewife bemoaning her lot says, ‘God didn’t want this for us; I’m sure God got distracted somewhere along the way’.
Guillermo Fadanelli has published more than 10 novels in Spanish and is the founder of a magazine which for over 20 years was characterised by its atmosphere of scorn, rebelliousness and provocation. This novel, which was published in Mexico 1999 in Spanish is the first to be translated into English, but hopefully not the last.
The translator, Alice Whitmore, has done a superb job, retaining the atmosphere and the vibe of a Mexican community in impeccable simple English prose.
It is refreshing to get a taste of literature from another culture particularly for monolingual English speakers. While something may be lost in translation this does not appear to be the case here.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
See You At Breakfast? by Guillermo Fadanelli translated by Alice Whitmore
Form: Paperback
Publisher: Giramondo Publishing Co
Published: 1 March 2016
ISBN:9781925336009
This short novel is about four people the author ironically describes as ‘not worth writing about’: A frustrated office worker, a middle-aged prostitute reconciled to her profession, a lovely young over-protected woman and a part-time unqualified vet. Of course, the opposite meaning is intended in describing something of the lives of people from a lower middle income group.
By deftly depicting the thoughts and actions of these so-called ‘ordinary’ people – their loves, their hates, their foibles, their dreams, hopes, disappointments, fears and courage – the author brings them dramatically to life. So what they do and what they think becomes very important to the reader. And indeed it should be because most readers will see themselves, their families or their friends and acquaintances confronting many of the situations in which these characters find themselves.
We learn about our four characters through deftly handled dialogue, through descriptions of what they are thinking and through third part narration. This mixture can be disastrous if not well executed but Fadanelli handles it with great skill.
A strain of sadness, epitomised by the question mark at the end of the novel’s title, pervades this book, partly because it deals with many of the frustrations of the underprivileged, and partly because there is little to be cheerful about in relation to rape, prostitution and death or, for that matter, hum-drum office work. But a sort of gloom hangs over even the happier episodes of marriage and friendship and neighbourly consideration.
One of the strengths of this novel is the way lives of the four people, portrayed over a relatively short period of time, criss-cross each other. This helps to round the characterisation as well as giving the novel a page-turning quality.
So why read this book? Read it because it gives worthwhile insights into the human condition. ‘There is never enough mercy to go around’, muses one of the characters. Another wonders, ‘what is the point of having a shoeshine kit with all the accessories if he never polished his shoes’. A housewife bemoaning her lot says, ‘God didn’t want this for us; I’m sure God got distracted somewhere along the way’. Referring to rape one of the victim’s neighbours says ‘’This is my problem too, Señor. This concerns all humankind’.
Guillermo Fadanelli has published more than 10 novels in Spanish and is the founder of a magazine which for over 20 years was characterised by its atmosphere of scorn, rebelliousness and provocation. This novel, which was published in in Mexico in Spanish in 1999 is the first to be translated into English, but hopefully not the last. The translator, Alice Whitmore, has done a superb job, retaining the atmosphere, the vibe, of a Mexican community in impeccable simple english prose.
It is refreshing to get a taste of literature from another culture particularly for monolingual english speakers. While something may be lost in translation this does not appear to be the case here.
Four stars
This short novel is about four people the author ironically describes as ‘not worth writing about’: A frustrated office worker, a middle-aged prostitute reconciled to her profession, a lovely young over-protected woman and a part-time unqualified vet. Of course, the opposite meaning is intended in describing something of the lives of people from a lower middle income group.
By deftly depicting the thoughts and actions of these so-called ‘ordinary’ people – their loves, their hates, their foibles, their dreams, hopes, disappointments, fears and courage – the author brings them dramatically to life. So what they do and what they think becomes very important to the reader. And indeed it should be because most readers will see themselves, their families or their friends and acquaintances confronting many of the situations in which these characters find themselves.
We learn about our four characters through deftly handled dialogue, through descriptions of what they are thinking and through third part narration. This mixture can be disastrous if not well executed but Fadanelli handles it with great skill.
A strain of sadness, epitomised by the question mark at the end of the novel’s title, pervades this book, partly because it deals with many of the frustrations of the underprivileged, and partly because there is little to be cheerful about in relation to rape, prostitution and death or, for that matter, hum-drum office work. But a sort of gloom hangs over even the happier episodes of marriage and friendship and neighbourly consideration.
One of the strengths of this novel is the way lives of the four people, portrayed over a relatively short period of time, criss-cross each other. This helps to round the characterisation as well as giving the novel a page-turning quality.
So why read this book? Read it because it gives worthwhile insights into the human condition. ‘There is never enough mercy to go around’, muses one of the characters. Another wonders, ‘what is the point of having a shoeshine kit with all the accessories if he never polished his shoes’. A housewife bemoaning her lot says, ‘God didn’t want this for us; I’m sure God got distracted somewhere along the way’. Referring to rape one of the victim’s neighbours says ‘’This is my problem too, Señor. This concerns all humankind’.
Guillermo Fadanelli has published more than 10 novels in Spanish and is the founder of a magazine which for over 20 years was characterised by its atmosphere of scorn, rebelliousness and provocation. This novel, which was published in in Mexico in Spanish in 1999 is the first to be translated into English, but hopefully not the last. The translator, Alice Whitmore, has done a superb job, retaining the atmosphere, the vibe, of a Mexican community in impeccable simple english prose.
It is refreshing to get a taste of literature from another culture particularly for monolingual english speakers. While something may be lost in translation this does not appear to be the case here.
Four stars
This short novel is about four people the author ironically describes as ‘not worth writing about’: A frustrated office worker, a middle-aged prostitute reconciled to her profession, a lovely young over-protected woman and a part-time unqualified vet. Of course, the opposite meaning is intended in describing something of the lives of people from a lower middle income group.
By deftly depicting the thoughts and actions of these so-called ‘ordinary’ people – their loves, their hates, their foibles, their dreams, hopes, disappointments, fears and courage – the author brings them dramatically to life. So what they do and what they think becomes very important to the reader. And indeed it should be because most readers will see themselves, their families or their friends and acquaintances confronting many of the situations in which these characters find themselves.
We learn about our four characters through deftly handled dialogue, through descriptions of what they are thinking and through third part narration. This mixture can be disastrous if not well executed but Fadanelli handles it with great skill.
A strain of sadness, epitomised by the question mark at the end of the novel’s title, pervades this book, partly because it deals with many of the frustrations of the underprivileged, and partly because there is little to be cheerful about in relation to rape, prostitution and death or, for that matter, hum-drum office work. But a sort of gloom hangs over even the happier episodes of marriage and friendship and neighbourly consideration.
One of the strengths of this novel is the way lives of the four people, portrayed over a relatively short period of time, criss-cross each other. This helps to round the characterisation as well as giving the novel a page-turning quality.
So why read this book? Read it because it gives worthwhile insights into the human condition. ‘There is never enough mercy to go around’, muses one of the characters. Another wonders, ‘what is the point of having a shoeshine kit with all the accessories if he never polished his shoes’. A housewife bemoaning her lot says, ‘God didn’t want this for us; I’m sure God got distracted somewhere along the way’. Referring to rape one of the victim’s neighbours says ‘’This is my problem too, Señor. This concerns all humankind’.
Guillermo Fadanelli has published more than 10 novels in Spanish and is the founder of a magazine which for over 20 years was characterised by its atmosphere of scorn, rebelliousness and provocation. This novel, which was published in in Mexico in Spanish in 1999 is the first to be translated into English, but hopefully not the last. The translator, Alice Whitmore, has done a superb job, retaining the atmosphere, the vibe, of a Mexican community in impeccable simple english prose.
It is refreshing to get a taste of literature from another culture particularly for monolingual english speakers. While something may be lost in translation this does not appear to be the case here.
Four stars
