Il quaderno cancellato

by Nicolás Giacobone

Nel piccolo appartamento di Buenos Aires condiviso con la madre Pablo Betances ha sempre sognato di scrivere: voleva essere prima un romanziere e poi uno sceneggiatore. Il sogno è diventato realtà quando ha conosciuto Santiago Salvaterra, salvo poi farsi incubo visto che il “più grande regista cinematografico latinoamericano di tutti i tempi” lo ha reso prigioniero e lo costringe a scrivere sceneggiature, veri e propri successi internazionali, rinchiuso in uno scantinato dove ci sono solamente un materasso, un computer portatile, la discografia completa dei Beatles, un ukulele, tutte le opere di Borges e un quaderno. L’unica via d’uscita è scrivere un’ultima sceneggiatura, quella che consacrerà Salvaterra nell’olimpo del cinema: un tour de force che Pablo appunta meticolosamente sul suo quaderno, un diario di prigionia dove giorno per giorno cancella ogni singola parola subito dopo averla scritta. Man mano che la stesura del capolavoro procede i rapporti tra i due uomini si fanno sempre più burrascosi, finché un giorno Pablo si blocca. È la fine?

Genres: Fiction, Translated Fiction, Contemporary

269 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Argentine writer born in Buenos Aires in 1975.

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Santiago Salvatierra was reputed to be "...the greatest Latin American film director of all time...his genius, the one that bursts from the screen, vanishes at the sight of a blank page...he can't write...[but] fancies...himself a screenwriter." When Pablo, an Argentine "novelist-turned-screenwriter", sent Santiago a copy of his screenplay he maintained, I "lost my life, both my physical and intellectual life..." by accepting an invitation to spend a weekend at Santiago's San Martin de los Andes Estate.

At gunpoint, Pablo was brought to the basement of Santiago's estate and forced to write a screenplay that would "change the history of world cinema". Pablo was given a mattress, a lamp with faulty illumination, and an old MacBook Pro without Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Ethernet. "I've gotten used to life as an imprisoned screenwriter. No, not imprisoned; basemented."

Santiago planned to take credit for Pablo's screenplay. Daily, he visited the basement, always critical of Pablo's newly written scenes and made "deplorable" comments. "You have to hurry up, Pablo...I don't want you to write in a rush...But you do have to hurry..." Pablo's thoughts in his crossed-out diary, "I function when I write under the illusion that no one is expecting me to write anything"...But what are my choices? I am "afraid of dying from a bullet to the brain."

Pablo's musings in his "captivity journal" are painful, exhausting, redundant, and darkly funny. He describes the maid who brought his meals, food which caused him to fart excessively and develop hemorrhoids. He constantly clashes with Santiago...creative differences. Pablo seems to be losing himself.

The process of writing a screenplay is explored as well. The composition of the screenplay includes the use of creating scene reversals ."...the twist...what pushes...someplace unexpected...a subtle twist...enough to leave us a little lost." Fascinating stuff!

"The Crossed-Out Notebook: A Novel" by Nicolas Giacobone is an original, baffling, challenging, enjoyable read, however, it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Thank you Scribner and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Crossed-Out Notebook".

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbingly Good.....
......but also wearisome
Disturbingly Good.....
......but at times too monotonous- tedious - and lacking diversified variety.
Disturbingly Good.....
......but many times I chucked inside at the entire premises of the story - making a little fun for myself: I talked back to the characters - butt my nose into their business - their dialogue - and gave the characters a piece of my mind! ( grumbling is actually a private enjoyable activity I’ve discovered when one must add a little more excitement to their reading).

So.....let me be clear....I’m glad I read this book! But....I felt I clearly made lemonade out of lemons - more than once.....crossing out chatter - adding chatter - basically
Kvetching a little too much with my own internal ‘me-discussions’.

First off....who in their right mind would kidnap anyone - keep them captive in their basement....threaten their life....and expect artistic brilliance from them?
NOBODY!!! Nobody was with a sound mind!

So now that we got that out-of-the-way that none of the characters were with sound mind....I found this book to be very funny at times....
Disturbingly Funny!

Pablo, from Neuquen, born in Zapala, took a plane that carried him to San Martin de Los Andes and ultimately into Santiago Salvatierra’s basement.

Santiago Salvatierra’s, an Argentine film director, was one of the most important film directors in the world.
He kidnapped Pablo...kept him in his basement... and threatened his life.... telling Pablo that “you’re going to help me change the world. A world that hasn’t changed artistically in decades”.

“Click”
“I burst out crying and Santiago came over and hugged me (the butt of the gun nestled against my back), and he whispered into my ear that together we were going to make art”.

It took Santiago several days to bring him down a mattress. He waited until he handed over the first act.
He waited until he made sure that the first act worked and that he worked.

Santiago told Pablo that down in the basement he wouldn’t lack for anything. Ha!
His meals - prepared by a woman named Norma ( from Mexico)... served him Chile poblano and cilantro for just about every meal. ( which overtime just gave him hemorrhoids)...yikes!
Once a week he got a vitamin supplement with a glass of homemade kombucha.

Pablo says....
“Though this might sound ridiculous, I think I’ve gotten used to life as an imprisoned screenwriter”.
“Basemented”.

Pablo writes in his notebook from 6am to 7am.
Then he crosses out what he wrote from 7am to five after 7.
Then he pretended to be asleep until Santiago came down into the basement at 7:10am, with his chair, a little dish of fruit, a cup of coffee, and the printouts of the scenes with his notes.
Then they work together until afternoon.

Oh.... and of course Pablo needed to allow time masturbate ( we needed this information, why?).... but when that wasn’t satisfying enough Pablo tells Santiago that he needs more. In comes Anita to pleasure Pablo in his working-prison-basement. We don’t care at all about the sex but the dialogue hilarious.

NORMA, the housekeeper, brought over from Mexico ....was probably my favorite character at all. SHE DOESN’T CARE FOR CONVERSATIONS! Had to love this this woman!!!

Pablo’s contemplations and reflections while held captive — writing ✍️ and crossing out what he just wrote - looking back at his past - sharing about his parents - etc. in his crossed-out-notebook were a combination of frazzling and fascinating.

The two guys ‘together’....Pablo and Santiago....silly ‘boys’.....were trying to turn their buffoonery into the best artistic masterpiece ever written.
Good luck with that!!!!

Nutty crazy unique book - actually a little addicting - and not because of the action…which there is a little…but I admit the writing held my interest ( the gloominess was definitely felt).....and even though I bitched along side with my new character-friends in my head.....shhhhhh, I kinda liked them all!

.........and you GOTTA LOVE THE BOOK COVER!!!

4 stars....
Thank You, Netgalley, Scribner, and Nicolas Giacobone.

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is truly terrible.

Imagine going on a date with a middle aged man, and he spends the entire time talking about himself. Hours and hours without an opportunity for you to make an excuse to leave. He’s read five books and thinks he knows everything about literature, they’re only by men. He’s watched a handful more movies, cinema is totally his thing, but still, only quotes films directed by men that have been referenced as classics, usually by men. He then talks about these things as if you don’t know anything about them, and he often opines about how these people don’t deserve things because only he deserves the best. He believes that he’s hard done by despite having coasted his entire life on his privilege. That’s what reading this book is like. Painful.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure if it's a 4 or 3.5 stars. The premise completely hooked me, gave me Misery by Stephen King but much more tame and no body harm. Part from a writer been locked up to write their next master piece this book has nothing more in common with Misery. It was it's own story and book and I like the oddness of it, but not sure if I was in loved with the story, wasn't really exciting or dramatic but was an interesting read

[January Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish. Dull, boring and drawn out. I did not enjoy it at all. It was like watching paint dry.

[Elizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wann ist man ein Künstler und
ab wann ist man Wahnsinnig?
Worum geht es?
Der berühmte Regisseur Santiago Salvatierra ist zwar in seiner Rolle als Filmemacher perfekt, kann jedoch kein Drehbuch schreiben. Aus diesem Grund lädt er Pablo zu sich ein und sperrt ihn daraufhin für fünf Jahre in seinen Keller. So beginnt die Geschichte, die Pablo in ein Notizbuch schreibt, deren Sätze er dann immer wieder durchstreicht. In diesen fünf Jahren Gefangenschaft hat er bereits zwei Drehbücher für Santiago geschrieben und am dritten arbeiten sie aktuell zusammen. Anders als erwartet, scheint es so als würde Pablo seine Gefangenschaft akzeptieren, ja nahezu brauchen! Denn ein Künstler sollte zu 100% in seiner Arbeit aufgehen oder etwa nicht?
“Alles fing mit einem Drehbuch an.”
– Das geschwärzte Notizbuch

Klappentext
Um das perfekte Drehbuch zu bekommen, entführt der manisch brillante Regisseur Santiago den renommierten Autor Pablo. Er sperrt ihn ein. Fünf Jahre lang. In einem kargen dunklen Raum. Nichts soll Pablo vom Schreiben ablenken. Ein Meisterwerk entsteht. Und eine von Abhängigkeit, Abscheu und Faszination geprägte Beziehung zweier genialer Künstler.

Ein Roman über Größe, Größenwahn und die Kunst des Schreibens. Vom Oscar-prämierten Drehbuchautor Nicolás Giacobone. (Quelle: Heyne)

Meine Meinung
Wie wichtig ist es mit Leidenschaft zu schreiben? Und ist es erst Kunst, wenn man wirklich dafür leidet?
Diese Fragen kreisten während des Lesens von Das geschwärzte Notizbuch immer wieder in meinem Kopf herum. Denn Pablo leidet tatsächlich dafür, um zu schreiben.
Seit fünf Jahren wird er vom Regisseur Santiago in dessen Keller gefangen gehalten. Pablo hat eine feste Routine, die er scheinbar braucht, um schreiben zu können. Die Dynamik zwischen den beiden ist nahezu unheimlich, denn sowohl Santiago als auch Pablo sind voneinander abhängig. Pablos überleben hängt natürlich davon ab, dass Santiago im Essen hinunter bringt und Santiago ist darauf angewiesen, dass Pablo für ihn schreibt.
„Seit fünf Jahren schon sehe ich keinen Sonnenaufgang mehr. Seit fünf Jahren schon sehe ich keinen Baum mehr. Seit fünf Jahren schon sehe ich keine Wolke mehr.“
Ich war mir streckenweise nicht sicher, ob Pablo seine Gefangenschaft so sehr akzeptiert hat, dass er gar nicht mehr raus möchte oder ob er doch zurück ins Leben möchte aber sich zu sehr davor fürchtet nicht mehr Schreiben zu können. Denn im Keller lenkt ihn nichts ab.
Der Plot klang für mich in erster Linie überaus interessant, wären da nicht die wirren Texte von Pablo. Er schreibt in Zeitsprüngen, denen man nur schwer folgen kann. Vieles lässt er aus oder streift gewisse Situationen nur. Besonders gegen Ende hin werden die Zeitsprünge riesig und viele Aussagen und Gedanken wiederholen sich so oft, dass ich regelrecht genervt von ihm wurde.
Auch gab es so einige Stellen, die ich einfach zu primitiv fand und die mich regelrecht anekelten, so dass ich mich fragte “Was lese ich hier überhaupt!?”
Schreibstil & Cover
Der Schreibstil war meiner Meinung nach überaus anstrengend und konnte mich nicht fesseln. Ich wurde sogar regelrecht davon genervt und überlass einige Abschnitte, da es einfach zu viele Wiederholungen gab.
Das Cover ist jedoch sehr gelungen und unterstreicht den Titel, denn genau so habe ich mir sein Notizbuch auch vorgestellt.
Fazit
Auch wenn die Geschichte einige spannende Fragen aufwirft und man sich wirklich fragt, ab wann ist man wirklich ein guter Schriftsteller / Drehbuchautor und was ist Kunst eigentlich? War das ganze für mich einfach zu anstrengend verpackt. Wäre der Schreibstil etwas fliessender gewesen hätte mich das ganze bestimmt mehr gepackt. So fand ich es Stellenweise so anstrengend, dass ich mit dem Gedanken spielte es komplett abzubrechen. Einzig ein grosses Ereignis gegen Ende hin weckte mein Interesse noch so sehr, dass ich es doch noch zu Ende las, um dann überaus enttäuscht mitten im Satz hängen gelassen zu werden.
Bewertung
Plot ♥♥ (2/5)
Schreibstil ♥ (1/5)
Botschaft ♥♥ (2/5)
Lesevergnügen ♥♥ (2/5)

[Kayla Schlotthauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

Not gonna lie, I totally judged this book by its cover, which as I opened the package, made me wonder why I ever entered or was interested in this book. I'm not into super abstract covers and would never have picked this out at the store or library, but I'm glad that I didn't really pay attention when entering because this ended up being a great read.

Full of dark humor, you go along for the ride as the Pablo plays at the brink of genius and madness.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Goodreads summary: In the end, The Crossed-Out Notebook is a darkly funny novel full of intrigue and surprise...

Me:

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Irgendwie weiß ich nicht, was ich sagen soll. Wenn mein Gesicht während des Lesens nicht so oft vor Ekel verzerrt gewesen wäre...

Die Geschichte an sich klang super spannend, und auch der eigenartig experimentelle Schreibstil ist etwas, was ich geschätzt hätte, wäre ich nicht so viel Text übersprungen. Es ist einfach ein riesiger Monolog, der mit großen Namen um sich wirft, Filme referiert und irgendwie nirgendwo ankommt. Pablo ist viel zu eingebildet, als dass man irgendwie mit ihm mitfühlen könnte. Außerdem bleiben wahnsinnig viele Fragen offen, was aber auch daran liegen könnte, dass man irgendwann einfach nicht mehr aufmerksam ist.

Was mich am meisten gestört hat, waren diese Ekel-Aspekte. Ich weiß nicht, ob sie das Bild eines völlig-am-Ende-aber-genialen Schriftstellers verkörpern sollten, oder lustig sein sollten. Ich fand sie so überflüssig. Ich will nichts über Hämorrhoiden, seinen Stuhlgang oder sein Masturbiervierhalten wissen. Was gar nicht ging, war die Szene mit Norma. Generell ist Norma eigentlich ohne Funktion, außer das Pablo über sie fantasieren kann.

[Emily Axtman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite honestly don’t know how I feel about this book. I disliked the pacing, the narrator, the style of writing, but yet I couldn’t stop turning pages to finish it. The main story line, when the narrator wasn’t talking about how horny he was, was compelling, and the discussion of a writer’s life perfecting their craft was interesting. But, overall I couldn’t find any real substance. I would have loved for the last quarter of the book to have lasted longer. There were so many questions that I wanted answered, but instead I just got the same sentences repeated with random thoughts interjected with no meaning to the plot.

[Kate Vane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writers often lament the fact that they are beset by distractions. Some will go to great lengths to isolate themselves, going on retreats or hiring an office or hiding out in a garden shed. The Crossed Out Notebook is a warning to be careful what you wish for.

Pablo is a struggling scriptwriter in Buenos Aires. He has been kidnapped by Santiago, a famous movie director, and forced to write screenplays for him in the basement of his rural home. Why? According to Pablo, it’s because directors think they can do it all, but they can’t. Santiago is a great director but a mediocre writer. He needs Pablo.

After five years, Pablo has adjusted to his incarceration and he and Santiago have formed a strict writing routine. They plan and discuss scenes each day for the movie they are working on, and then Pablo writes them when Santiago leaves. So far they have written two successful films like this. Santiago is determined that the next film will be the one that will win everything (which Pablo interprets as code for success in Hollywood).

In order to aid him, Pablo is given books, films and music. To keep himself from despairing when he thinks of his past life, and in particular his mother, he focuses intently on art. When he’s not writing he muses on a host of great (overwhelmingly male) authors, directors and musicians from Joyce to Borges to Fellini. He obsesses over the music of the Beatles. He describes his development as a writer. Despite his unhappiness and his concern for his family and friends, he can't help draw pleasure from what he has achieved and this creates a terrible conflict in his relationship with Santiago.

The novel is supposedly the words he writes in a notebook, which he meticulously crosses out every morning, so that Santiago will not be able to read them. It is the one thing that is his, and is a stream of consciousness, free of the constraints of narrative form. In this way he brings to life the question of whether writers should be led by inspiration or structure, and the ideas popularised for cinema by Robert McKee in Story, who in turn draws on Aristotle's Poetics. It is also his attempt to keep a sense of self, something apart from Santiago, in a situation where he only exists in the world in the words of a script bearing someone else’s name.

While the obvious parallel is with Stephen King’s Misery, a thriller about a reader imprisoned by an obsessive fan and forced to write the story she wants to read, there are also echoes of King’s memoir On Writing. In that, King describes, about as well as anyone can, the role of the unconscious in writing:

There is a muse, but he’s not going to come fluttering down into your writing room and scatter creative fairy-dust all over your typewriter or computer. He lives in the ground. He’s a basement kind of guy. You have to descend to his level, and once you get down there you have to furnish an apartment for him to live in.

Pablo is talking about the relationship between a screenwriter and a director, but perhaps he is also talking about the two sides of any creative person – the inventive, unconscious, inspired part, and the practical, organised, connected, project-managing part.

Despite the subject matter, The Crossed Out Notebook is not all darkness. There is some bleak humour in Pablo's reflections, and in his battle of wills with Norma, the housekeeper who delivers his food. Pablo makes some smart observations on popular culture and the business of movie marketing, the intersection between art and entertainment. He uses rhythm and repetition to great effect and I can imagine in the original Spanish this would be even more effective. It is also interesting reading it in translation because some of his musings are on the effect of translation. As they write their Hollywood masterpiece in Spanish, before sending it to the translator, Pablo and Santiago reflect not just on the words but on how the concepts will translate.

The Crossed Out Notebook isn’t a crowd pleaser in the same way as Misery, which is a fascinating study of creativity and obsession, but which you can read as a cracking thriller and never give a thought to the underlying themes. This is a book about ideas, and it won’t chime with everyone. However, if you are interested in cinema or writing or the mysteries of the creative process, it’s an intriguing and satisfying read.
*
I received a copy of The Crossed Out Notebook from the publisher via Netgalley.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

When our public library gave notice of their own quarantine shutdown, residents were given one last day with less restrictions on max checkouts, accompanied by the added bonus of open-ended due dates. Knowing this, I exercised less discrimination and grabbed books I may not have typically given a second glance. (in this case it certainly wasn't the cover). Two things on the jacket notes did catch my eye - the author's cowriting of Birdman, and an intriguing plot summary.

There are some bursts of humor, dark as they may be. Overall, however, I would never have survived past page 50 if not for the pandemic. Years from now I may remember this book for that very reason...unfortunately. That is, along with the music for Shark Tank, back episodes of which became a family viewing staple over these last 2 months...

[Tavia Harthcock · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really hated this book, it was very very boring to me.

[Nick Fanelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this story to people who enjoy artsy films like Birdman.

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fascinating and infuriating and repetitive and unusual and original all wrapped up in one...

It's ostensibly the tale of a writer held captive by a director and forced to produce screenplays to which the director will claim sole credit. But it's much more than that, and that's where it both succeeds and fails in my opinion. It succeeds in its exploration of what it means to be trapped, but physically and inside one's own head. Also in what it means to be a writer, to be an artist, to be original, to be lost, and to be a captive to one's own head space. But it occasionally falls into its own oubliette of cleverness, as so many non - traditional narratives do I think, and that was where it occasionally lost me.

It's an unusual narrative that flips back and forth in time and space, both external and internal, and the flips happen without any notice or any explanation. I'm not usually a fan of non-traditional narratives. I tend to prefer my stories to be slightly more linear than not, since I generally read to be entertained as opposed to be exploring an art form. That said, a non-traditional narrative can be an art form, and still entertaining and engaging, when crafted well. For the most part, this one is crafted very well. I did occasionally find it repetitive and painful to read, although both in hindsight and at the time I realized that may well have been intentional. This is a story about a man who was losing himself, and in that regard the flow of the narrative is spot-on. It does make for a slightly difficult and at times a bit tedious read though, but I do think it ultimately achieved its goal.

And as always, I'm all the more impressed with the trickiness of the narrative and the cleverness of the language, given that this is a translation. The concept of translation is important in the story, and I think that was a cool resonant piece given the way the book was written.

It was odd and at times strange and infuriating, but also highly original and I'm glad that I read it on the whole - but it isn't going to be a book for everyone...

[Katrina Feraco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this galley by the publisher and my supervisor at the bookshop I work for. This review is based off of that galley.

This is the story of a screenwriter kidnapped by a director, held under duress until he creates the perfect screenplay. Remniscent of "Misery" in scenario, it's a story as stressful for the reader as it is for Pablo, the narrator, if not more so due to the style of writing. Giacobone, who references great writers throughout, uses stream of consciousness as his medium for Pablo's five years in captivity. It feels more like word-vomit though, as you eventually realize you won't ever know all the details; you're only going to hear what Pablo tells you. Overall, psychological and chilling in all the right ways, although I could have done without all the talk about farts.

[Erin Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. What a wild ride! About a man named Pablo who is kidnapped and forced to write screenplays for a famous director. You’re not sure how much is reality or just happening in the narrators head. Definitely reminded me of Misery. I’ll definitely be thinking about this one for quite a while and that is the mark of a good book to me. It was difficult to read at times and repetitive but very interesting. Thanks to #scribner and #netgalley for letting me read and review this.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually haven’t yet watched the movie that made this author famous. But the book sounded intriguing and I wanted to read something international, in fact this may have been my first Argentinian book, everyone probably always starts with Borges, but somehow I still haven’t managed to tackle that, so yeah…this was a choice made on the book’s own merit, not the fact that its author shared an Oscar and a Golden Globe for cowriting a popular movie. But there is a certain undeniable interconnectivity between the two, mainly its love, nay, obsession with movies, screenplays, directing, etc. And so here the story follows a twisted and disturbing symbiosis between a screenwriter and a director. The writer can write, albeit he is a complete failure at all other pursuits, a man who never really became realized, a story written out and then crossed out, a blank slate. The director can direct (albeit despotically), but he’s an abject failure at writing. So he kidnaps the writer, imprisons the man in his basement and forces him to write for him. This goes on for years. The horrifyingly logical dynamic the two establish somehow produces two hit movies and is poised to spit out the perfect third, the perfection of cinematic achievements, the culmination of all their efforts. If it works. And so in a strangely hypnotic first person stream of consciousness narration this novel unfolds like a surreal dream or possibly a nightmare. It doesn’t feature any likeable characters or any other traditional attractors and yet it works, magnetic in its repelling splendor. There are the obvious comparisons, but Pablo is no James Caan (you gotta go with the movie version, considering the subject here) and this is a way different beast, there are levels of complacency and volition and codependency that go above and beyond the traditional kidnap victimhood, precisely because Pablo is such a useless sort of person. A failed musician, who lives with his mom, shared a bed with his mom in fact, lives off of his mom, perpetually, prospect free, without having a job, a love interest or even much in a way of passions, the man who has become so accustomed to erasing his stories that he in fact became a man easy to erase. Weirdly enough, all these years of being a nonentity have seemingly prepared him for a sort of excessive minimalism of a nonlife, so in his basement he manages to survive on books, ukulele (carbon fiber, fancy), some old Playboys, music of his one and only favorite band and, of course, writing. And he’s the good one here as it were, because the director is essentially a thoroughly morally reprehensible bastard with no redeeming qualities. Although he does make good movies. So this is a story of ambition and talent, the balance of the two. Plus a commentary on the art and ugliness of moviemaking. If you pardon the crudeness, this is a parable about raping one’s muse. And as such it is thoroughly disturbing and very much an acquired taste. Not something easily recommended, but for anyone in a mood for a different and challenging read, this is it. It vaguely reminded me of Reid’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, although probably mostly for its mad spinning narrative style. Actually ,Wikipedia tells me that one is being turned into a movie, which should be a very interesting experience. But yeah, this book was a weird one. It read quickly, but certainly a memorable story. Disturbing and claustrophobic, much like a basement. For very specific moods and mindsets and appetites. Thanks Netgalley.

[Jorgeguerreroz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cayó en mis manos de casualidad, era uno de los libros recomendados en la biblioteca de Puerta de Toledo.

Me llama la atención que un tipo que ha sido guionista de Iñarritu, en dos ocasiones, que sin duda conocerá los entresijos de la industria, haya escrito un libro tan lleno de tópicos, tan de cartón piedra. No se siente como el libro de alguien que conoce ese mundo, si no el de un turista que como trabajo de campo se ha dedicado a leer Fotogramas y Cinemanía. Qué sí los Oscars, que si los Goyas, que si Meryl Streep para arriba y para abajo, ¡que si cambiar la historia del cine mundial!

Y que pesadilla con el genio y con el talento. Madre de deu.

Más allá de esto, el principal error es el estilo: un monólogo intermenable del protagonista, muy, muy reiterativo. Buscando el naturalismo, el caos del pensamiento, pero dandose de bruces con el tedio.

Parece que el autor ha querido explorar esa herramienta que en los guiones está prohibida, el monólogo interno. Y vaya si lo ha hecho, cómo en un buffet, se ha dado un buen empacho.

Me está quedando muy dura está reseña. Quizá no me cogió en buen momento el libro. Guardo el mayor de los respesto hacia un tipo que ha escrito "Biutiful". Ya me gustaría a mí.

Me gustó esta reflexión, estoy muy de acuerdo, es uno de los motivo por el que escribo guiones y me cuesta horrores escribir narrativa.

"El guión es un texto aliterario. No tiene estilo. Es decir, no importa que el guionista imponga su estilo en la página escrita. Aunque hay muchos guionistas con estilos diferente, al final ninguno de esos estilos importan, todos terminan archivados en el cajón de los guiones producidos o no producidos. Me gusta sentarme a escribir sin tener que preocuparme por el estilo. No tengo que ser Joyce, ni Hemingway, ni Carver. Solo tengo que escribir buenas escenas: didascalias claras, diálogos precisos. Es más lo que evitó que lo que no. "

También esto:

"La manera en la que siempre escribí, la manera que me funciona, sabiendo que lo que estoy escribiendo en tiempo presente no es la versión final de nada, que todo puede tirarse a la basura, que todo puede reescribirse".

[Audra (ouija.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who wouldn’t be drawn into the premise of this book? A screenwriter is trapped in a basement by a maniacal director and forced to craft screenplays for movies he will never get any credit for. What does he do? What’s going on in his mind?

Giacobone is interested in the line between creative genius and just plain madness, between fiction and reality and how that line might become blurry. This is a metafictional sort of book that dissects the creative process of writing as you read, so I’m willing to cut it some slack; it is more about the ideas that it brings up than the plot. But that is no excuse for the plot to not hold my attention, and that’s where The Crossed-Out Notebook started to waver for me.

I was invested in seeing it through, so the story and the writing style captured me. Plus, I wanted to know how it was going to end, and for some reason, I was weirdly invested in knowing if we would find out what this world-altering screenplay was actually about. But I felt the story was missing something in the plot that would have pulled it all together. And also less information about farting? I’m not an expert or anything, but it felt a little unnecessary.

There is a lot of repetition in the book, and it is obviously specifically meant to fulfill a function. It brings the reader into the mindspace of Pablo, who is forced to live the same day over and over in the same four walls with only a small window for natural light and only a reticent housekeeper and his kidnapper for company. But I found myself thinking, I get it, which is how I felt about a lot of the stylistic aspects of the book.

This book is definitely style of substance. Though it offers an interesting rumination on the act of writing, it fell a bit flat for me in the end because I couldn’t fully connect with the plot and characters.

My thanks to Scribner Books for my copy of this one to read and review.

[Alexis Petrak · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Pablo's life as a novelist ends in failure he tries his hand in screenwriting. However, he finds himself kidnapped by a very famous director and forced to write a world-changing screenplay. Every night when Pablo stops working he begins writing in his journal, but, every morning he wakes up and crosses out everything that he has written. This is his diary of his time being kidnapped; full of threats, arguments, and food brought to him by a maid.

Normally I don't go for just plain fiction because I am in constant need of a twist or a mystery to figure out. After reading plain fiction I am always left looking for something more or becoming bored throughout my reading. This book had its funny moments but I did not find myself enjoying it.

On Goodreads I rated this book a 2/5 because although it was a fast read I found myself getting annoyed with the main character. It is told from Pablo's perspective and he becomes very repetitive and it's hard to determine if he is going insane during his captivity or if he is pretending to go insane to try to get out of captivity. There are a lot of parts that are written in Spanish and those parts are not always translated so I was left a little confused. This is far from the worst book that I have ever read and I was able to read it within 2 days so the fact that it is an easy read gives the book some brownie points. However, as someone who is always looking for more when it comes to books this book just didn't do it for me. If you're a fan of fiction books and don't mind sorting through repetitive thoughts from a possible crazed character than I think that you will really enjoy this book.

It comes out September 24, 2019 so keep a look out!!

[Langosta Literaria]

Por: Samuel Segura

Hola. Vengo de escribir el primer borrador de un guion cinematográfico sin saber adónde ir.
Vengo fresco, desangrándome, con la imperiosa necesidad de escribir otra cosa…
Esto.
Y quisiera jurar por mi vida que no me vuelve a ocurrir.
Eso de escribir el borrador de un guion sin saber adónde ir.
Y quisiera decir (escribir) por qué espero que no me pase otra vez.
Así que ahí voy:

En primer lugar, eso de “Vengo de escribir el primer borrador de un guion sin saber adónde ir” tiene que ver con el libro de Nicolás (siempre quiero ponerle Santiago, como su personaje, de apellido Salvatierra) Giacobone, EL CUADERNO TACHADO (publicado recientemente bajo el renovado sello Reservoir Books).

O quizá no tenga nada que ver, usted dirá. (Ya, ya estamos en el tema de la ambigüedad.)

Hace casi un par de años me metí a una escuela de cine para aprender a escribir guiones. La idea de hacerlo nació un día que alguien, en un taller literario, dijo sobre un relato que llevé: “Es muy visual, muy cinematográfico”. Y cuajó cuando tuve una crisis personal que me obligó a abrazarme con toda mi fuerza de la escritura. (Pero esa es otra historia, que además siempre cuento.)

Lee la reseña completa aquí: http://www.langostaliteraria.com/la-a...

[Alan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘I live in a basement.
Five years, I’ve lived in this basement.’

From Academy-award winner Nicolás Giacobone comes an odd, quirky little novel about a screenwriter, held captive by famous film director Santiago Salvatierra, and who is forced to write award-winning screenplays. Pablo never sees these films, nor is he ever credited, and now he is facing his toughest task yet, to write a screenplay that will be made into a film that will change cinema forever.

This is a tight, sparse novel, really just the thoughts of a man held captive and writing these down on paper, on a laptop, anywhere he can write. There are a lot of musings on the art of writing, on cinema, on literature; Pablo is a fan of Beckett, and in its bleak observations his writing comes to resemble a Beckett novel. The comedy – for this is a darkly comic book – is situational, from the conversations between Pablo and Santiago on his screenplays, to Santiago’s fondness for playing Russian roulette with his revolver, and to the wordless Norma who cooks and cleans. And as the plot takes a twist about halfway through the situations become even more bizarre.

Taking in everything from the creative process, fame and legacy, and the inner machinations of the film industry, this book may not be to everyone’s taste. It is repetitive, bleak, wordy, and the ending is suitably ambiguous, as we are left unsure as to how Pablo’s story will end. An interesting and a challenging book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. 3.5 stars, happily rounded up to 4 for it being something a little different.

[Jennifer May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im Geschwärzten Notizbuch erleben wir die Geschichte von Pablo, der von einem Regisseur in seinem Keller festgehalten wird um für ihn Drehbücher zu schreiben.

So krank wie diese Zusammenfassung sich anhört ist auch die Geschichte, aber in positivstem Sinne. Ich habe die philosophierenden Stellen, in denen es um das Schreiben, Filme und die Kunst geht, sehr geliebt. Wunderschöne Sätze reihen sich aneinander und ergeben eine Story die gleichermaßen verstörend wie faszinierend ist.

Der SChreibstil ist gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber für mich genial und verleiht dem ganzen das spezielle Etwas.

Einziger Kritikpunkt ist das Ende. Mir war es zu abrupt, zu unvollständig und die Geschichte ist für mich nicht rund. Alles andere wirklich top, aber das Ende....

Für Filmfans, Schreiberlinge und Thriller-Fans, die auf der Suche nach dem Besonderen sind eine absolute Empfehlung von mir.

[Alexandra Gronow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Das geschwärzte Notizbuch hörte sich für mich  vom Klapptext her total spannend an. 
Doch die ernüchterung erfolgte Relativ schnell.
 Es war einfach nur extrem langweilig und irgenwie kam man in die Geschichte nicht rein. Dann das ganze wirr war. Mir fällt es hierzu extrem schwer eine Rezesion zu schreiben, da es einfach nur ein Buch war was man gelesen hat, wobei ich hier auch echt lang für ca 180 Seiten gebraucht habe, zudem hatte ich das gefühl ich lese, ja ,aber ich weiß nicht so recht was ich lese, was zur Folge hat das ich den Inhalt einfach nicht mehr wiedergeben kann.
Lag es nun an der Erwartung die der Klapptext hergab, oder war es einfach nicht mein Genre?
Ich finde, dieses Buch muss nicht zwingend gelesen werden, jedoch wird es Leserìnnen geben,die dieses Genre mögen.
Ich kann hier nur 1 Stern vergeben.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about working under pressure! Santiago, a famous Argentinian director (and let's be honest- a bit insane) kidnaps Pablo, a failed novelist turned screenwriter, locking him in the basement. Santiago wants Pablo to create the perfect script but that's not going to happen. Nope. Every morning, Pablo crosses out what he's written and starts again. Sort of a literary groud hog day except it's not- there's a lot of menace and Pablo knows what's happening to him. This is told in Pablo's stream of consciousness (which gets a bit much at times). This goes on for five years (!); no spoilers as to how it ends. Norma the maid is a bright spot and a hoot. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. An unusual read for fans of literary fiction.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. It wasn’t what I was expecting. While I was stuck in one man’s head and one man’s perspective only through the entire story (think Tom Hanks in Cast Away), I was also bouncing in so many directions throughout. What makes it hard to put down is the frequency of unexpected flips between time and space as you turn pages. What kept me from giving this story a 5 star rating was honestly the cliff hanger at the end. We spend so much time in this man’s head. It would have been nice to know if he gets what he is seeking in the last few pages. But I don’t know, I guess that’s the point.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give it three and a half stars if I could.
Anyways, I enjoyed the characters and the narration playing out like a stream of consciousness. The protagonist is truly a man that only his mother could love. What an interesting way to convey how it feels to be a writer in an absurd and humorous fashion. Nothing great or special, though.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book, but it was fun in the way of how it went about dragging along about the most insignificant thing while important things happened.
Easy to hate this book if you're a certain type of person. Also easy to love this book if you're a certain type of person.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I must admit it was one of the strangest and interesting stories that I have ever read. This story sent on emotional highs and lows, and hope. I hope the author writes more books, because I really like his writing style. It was a little slow in the beginning, but I was happy to give it the necessary patience for the story to develop. This will definitely be a future reread.

[Bridget Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

While sometimes I was confused as to whether Pablo was in the present day, or in memory (that could have been my own lack of focus), I enjoyed this book. The author managed to make me feel the desperation of Pablo. The NEED to write non-stop at the end...I loved the feeling of terror Giacobone was able to convey in an almost tangible way.

Was the basement door really unlocked for seven years? Was Pablo a prisoner of his own making? Had his life outside made this existence preferable?