It tells the story of Bianca, an Italian young adult, who for all intents and purposes had a troubled childhood. Her parents have been killed in a tragic car accident, and so she together with her brother had to fend for themselves from a relatively young age. This of course introduces them to elements of society that aren't the nicest. And the book chronicles how she eventually gets involved in crime.
It's relatively comic, actually. The crime involves being the lover of a blind famous person, who isn't the best-looking. She embeds herself into the life of this mafioso with the intention of finding an alleged safe that contains lots of money. All of this is the plot of her brother and two other guys that she sleeps with every now and then. But the plot isn't so successful. Eventually she moves on.
It isn't the most profound Roberto Bolaño novel. But nevertheless I found myself enjoying it, purely for the storytelling aspect. It was engaging, and it kept me on the edge of my seat, as I always had reason to turn the page. It was a complete story all within a hundred and twenty-something pages. It does showcase Bolaño's style without the literary gymnastics that his other books feature, so perhaps this could be a good entry point to his works before one reads his other more challenging books. I give this 4 out of 5 stars.
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