Distant Star

Distant Star | Roberto Bolaño, Chris Andrews

so-so

I'm not sure exactly how to rate this one, which is the main reason I'm going with so-so. It was a fascinating story, dealing with the terrors of the Pinochet regime in Chile but in an oblique way, through the actions of a mysterious, evil poet. What made it less than a pick was that my lack of familiarity with Chilean literature, especially poetry, left me floundering to understand many of the metaphors and cultural references.

MrBook Cultural references can be a tough thing for an author to work with. For example, if a reader isn't familiar with 80s American and Japanese pop culture, they will get really turned-off by "Ready Player One". A good musical example is Cole Porter's tunes or Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" if unfamiliar with the NYC metro area. 8y

bookwrm526 @MrBook agreed, and this one being in translation made it even tougher. I don't mind doing the work, and I looked up many of the references, but I found that doing that really took me out of the story. 8y

MrBook Yep, I feel the same way. 8y

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