First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

Three academics on the trail of a reclusive German author; a New York reporter on his first Mexican assignment; a widowed philosopher; a police detective in love with an elusive older woman – these are among the searchers drawn to the border city of Santa Teresa, where over the course of a decade hundred of women have disappeared.

Three academics on the trail of a reclusive German author; a New York reporter on his first Mexican assignment; a widowed philosopher; a police detective in love with an elusive older woman – these are among the searchers drawn to the border city of Santa Teresa, where over the course of a decade hundred of women have disappeared.

And cut! Happy Friday everyone! That is another workweek in the books. This also means that we are already halfway through September. It still feels like it was just yesterday when we welcomed the ninth month of the year. Nevertheless, happy weekend everyone! It is time to dress down after a long week at the office. I hope that everyone ended their workweek on a high note. I hope that you were all able to accomplish everything that you set out to achieve at the start of the week. With the year slowly approaching its close, I hope that the hard work you put in this year will get repaid. More importantly, I hope that everyone is doing well, in body, mind, and spirit.

To cap the workweek, I am posting a fresh First Impression Friday update, which has, by now, become a weekly tradition. Last month, I immersed myself in the works of African literature. But because of time constraints, I had to extend my journey a bit. This was primarily to tick off the books in my 2023 reading challenges. Thankfully, I was able to complete these books, and now I have traveled to another part of the literary world. I have commenced a journey across South American literature. I have already completed my second novel by Laura Esquivel, The Law of Love which also happens to be her sophomore novel. I am currently reading 2666, my second novel by heralded Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño.

It was through must-read lists that I first encountered Bolaño. His works, particularly The Savage Detectives and 2666, were a familiar presence on such lists. However, I have to admit that I was daunted by his works, at first; both books are also quite thick. But the inner adventurer spoke so I eventually relented and obtained copies of his works. The Savage Detectives was a part of my first South American literature month back in 2021. Now, his work is again going to form part of my foray into South American literature; it is safe to say that he is a staple. 2666 was published posthumously.

2666 is divided into five parts. It should be noted – and it was conveyed in A Note from the Author’s Heirs – that Bolaño originally instructed his publisher, Jorge Herralde, to have the book published serial, even providing instructions on how they should appear and at what intervals. Bolaño wanted to ensure his heirs’ future. However, to preserve the book’s literary value, his publisher and his friend Jorge Echevarria (who was also designated as his literary executor), with the acquiescence of Bolaño’s heirs, had the book published in a single volume. This is aligned with Bolaño’s original plan of publishing the book – had his illness not gotten worse, hence, his untimely demise – as a single volume.

Anyway, I have just finished the first part of the book, The Part About the Critics. The critics referred to in this part’s title were the French Jean-Claude Pelletier, the Italian Piero Morini, the Spaniard Manuel Espinoza, and the English woman Liz Norton. Despite their different backgrounds, they shared a similar interest: the study of the works of Benno von Archimboldi, a reclusive German novelist. Their intellectual pursuits led their paths to intersect through different symposia and literary criticism. They soon forged a friendship built around their common interest. Their circle was both intellectual and social.

As the shroud of mystery around Archimboldi deepened, so did the four characters’ interest in him. They scrutinized Archimboldi’s works hoping to achieve some semblance of understanding the mysterious writer. Their intellectual pursuit soon turned into an obsession. They tried to trace his whereabouts, even contacting his publisher, Mrs. Bubis, the last known person to be contacted by Archimboldi; he somehow reminds me of American writer Thomas Pynchon. In a way, the first part of the novel reminded me of The Savage Detectives where the main characters endeavored to locate Cesárea Tinajero, an elusive poet who is the founder of Visceral Realism and who hid in the deserts of Sonora. Speaking of Sonora and Mexico, the characters of 2666 also found themselves in this familiar landscape.

As I commenced reading the second part of the book, I have quite a lot of expectations of the book. The Savage Detectives set such a lofty standard – personally – and I am expecting that 2666 will do the same. I am interested in the angle about writing, something that was referenced in the two Bolaño novels I have read so far. I can’t wait for Archimboldi to be unmasked. Is he the real deal? More than the four characters – whose dynamics I expect to become more interesting as the story moves forward – I am hoping to learn more about him. The characters were hoping that their revered mysterious character would eventually win the Nobel Prize in Literature, deemed by many as the very zenith of a literary career.

But if my gauge is The Savage Detectives, it is logical to expect that Archimboldi is a mere vessel for the main characters to understand themselves through an adventure. It is going to be a rollercoaster ride that explores the very mantel upon which storytelling and writing are built. I am just a quarter into the story and a lot of things are still bound to happen. Will there be a shift in storytelling devices ala-The Savage Detectives? It is safe to assume that. With its length, it is going to take me some time to complete 2666. But it is fine. I want to relish the experience.

How about you fellow reader? What book or books are you taking with you for the weekend? I hope you get to enjoy them. Again, happy weekend everyone!