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El Oneronauta
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2014
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 27, 2017
The concept behind this book is very interesting: the titular character guides the protagonist through a series of dream adventures that lead to the protagonist's self-discovery. The nature (well, there are various levels) of this self-discovery only reveals itself bit by bit, and it's necessary to read the entire book to get the full picture. This slow burn reveal meant that my opinion about the book shifted several times during my read through.
El oneronauta is full of interesting wordplay (lots of puns) and an almost-endless amount of references and allusions to stories that the protagonist has read/heard (Peter Pan, Borges, and Coleridge are just a few that appear). It's kind of like that novel that everyone wished they could have written when they were young teens and wished to inhabit the books and movies that they loved. The protagonist is a young prodigy, intelligent beyond his years, but his young age contributes to what I thought were some of the inconsistencies in the novel. I understand that the protagonist, DC, is a prodigy, but mix of YA and "adult" literature (I use the quotes because the character reads erotic fiction, as well as novels simply written to an adult audience) references kind of annoyed me. I think I would have liked the book more if the Cien años de soledad and Borges references had been exchanged for something else. They didn't really seem to fit with Peter Pan, The Neverending Story, and Disney characters. This is similar to the contrasting childish and strikingly adult elements that one encounters throughout the book--descriptions of fifth grade drama alternate with vivid accounts of sexual encounters between minors and adults.
The trials that DC in the waking world are quite sad and, like in a psychoanalysis session, his dream adventures allow him to confront pain that's too acute to face when he's conscious. As I said before, the specifics of this pain is only revealed bit by bit, so I would suggest that anyone frustrated with the action (how DC handles certain situations) push through and finish the story.
El oneronauta is full of interesting wordplay (lots of puns) and an almost-endless amount of references and allusions to stories that the protagonist has read/heard (Peter Pan, Borges, and Coleridge are just a few that appear). It's kind of like that novel that everyone wished they could have written when they were young teens and wished to inhabit the books and movies that they loved. The protagonist is a young prodigy, intelligent beyond his years, but his young age contributes to what I thought were some of the inconsistencies in the novel. I understand that the protagonist, DC, is a prodigy, but mix of YA and "adult" literature (I use the quotes because the character reads erotic fiction, as well as novels simply written to an adult audience) references kind of annoyed me. I think I would have liked the book more if the Cien años de soledad and Borges references had been exchanged for something else. They didn't really seem to fit with Peter Pan, The Neverending Story, and Disney characters. This is similar to the contrasting childish and strikingly adult elements that one encounters throughout the book--descriptions of fifth grade drama alternate with vivid accounts of sexual encounters between minors and adults.
The trials that DC in the waking world are quite sad and, like in a psychoanalysis session, his dream adventures allow him to confront pain that's too acute to face when he's conscious. As I said before, the specifics of this pain is only revealed bit by bit, so I would suggest that anyone frustrated with the action (how DC handles certain situations) push through and finish the story.
Displaying 1 of 1 review