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Stranger to the Moon
Stranger to the Moon | Evelio Rosero
2 posts | 1 read | 2 to read
A fantastical novel about power and subservience by the great Evelio Rosero, winner of Colombias National Literature Prize The writer Evelio Rosero has never been one to shy away from the darker aspects of Colombias history and society. His magnificent Stranger to the Moon portrays a world that seems to exist outside history and geography, but taps into the dark myths and collective subconscious of his countrys harrowing inequality and violence. A parable of pointed social criticism, with naked humans imprisoned in a house to serve the needs of the vicious clothed-ones, the novel describes what ensues when a single naked-one privately rebels, risking his own death and that of his fellow prisoners. Each subsequent section of the book adds further layers to the ritualistic and bizarre social order that its characters inhabit. Trained insects and reptiles spy on all the naked-ones, and only the most fortunate reach old age (often by taking up strategic spots near the kitchen and grabbing for the fiercely contested food). Stranger to the Moon is a powerfully brave and distinctive novel by a writer who is arguably Colombias greatest living author.
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Billypar
Stranger to the Moon | Evelio Rosero
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In just 87 pages, we glimpse a world inside a single house where 'the naked ones', a society of hermaphroditic individuals, live completely cut off from the larger world outside, their only contacts being 'the clothed ones' who visit, have parties, and torment the naked ones for their own amusement. Weird? Yes. But it's a great example of how fantasy can provide insights into the nature of oppression without relying on some simplistic allegory.

BarbaraBB Sounds fab! 12mo
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Billypar
Stranger to the Moon | Evelio Rosero
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I never heard of this novella or author, but when I picked it up in the bookstore, these opening sentences hooked me. I bought it without knowing anything else about it and am enjoying the strange and creepy interior fantasy world. I will have to check out more by Evelio Roselio and New Directions publishing. Also thinking I should choose more books based on reading the first page 🤔

tpixie Great idea! 13mo
Billypar @tpixie A good excuse for more bookstore and library visits too 😏 13mo
tpixie @Billypar lol yes! 13mo
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Suet624 Haha. Well that‘s often how they get you. That‘s their plan anyway. 13mo
Suet624 I mentioned this once before on Litsy ages ago: I sometimes walk down a library aisle with my eyes closed. I put my fingers on the spines of books as I pass down the aisle, from top to bottom. I get an internal nudge when I hit a particular book and that's the one I take home. I haven't been disappointed yet. 13mo
Billypar @Suet624 That's amazing - talk about book faith! I think I would be 🫣 I often look at the first page, but I think I do it too quickly given all the competing books on the shelf that I'm thinking about picking up next. Slowing down and being more mindful would probably be a plus! 13mo
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