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Argentine author Aira is known for his prolific work rate -- he cranks out several small novels a year, and I decided it was finally time to try one out. This one was originally published in 2001, in the midst of Argentina's great depression. It takes place in and near the titular Buenos Aires shantytown and follows a series of linked characters.
It starts with the quiet fitness freak Maxi, who leaves his middle-class family's apartment each morning to help the trash-pickers who scavenge the stre ...more
It starts with the quiet fitness freak Maxi, who leaves his middle-class family's apartment each morning to help the trash-pickers who scavenge the stre ...more
A quirky little book about a big and simple man who helps shantytown dwellers collect trash to bring to their homes. The story is pretty basic with a few fantastical elements to it. It's also quite short and a very fast read, so it can be finished in a day or two. I enjoyed Aira's straightforward prose and immediately felt drawn to the main character who reminded me slightly of the protagonist in "Being There." The plot goes a bit off the rails towards the end, which I found disappointing, but o
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Jun 11, 2015
Ching-In
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2021
Ann
added it
