Basically, there's the story of a maestro conductor and an opera singer, Gabriel Atlan-Ferrara and Inez Prada. They performed several times, and meet over the years. Yet they don't end up being romantically involved in the long term. So they wonder why.
And there's the story of the primeval human male and female, and this thread is just weird. In any case, this book has magical realistic elements in it, all in the background of Hector Berlioz.
So yeah, I liked the chapters about Atlan-Ferrara and Prada, but the chapters about the primeval male and female were just bizarre. So I felt bipolar with this book, alternatingly liking it and hating it. And at the end of the day, I don't think I can decide.
I suppose that was the point of Fuentes. Similar to arthouse films, sometimes there isn't a happy ending. And that is okay. For this one, there's two individuals that admire each other, and have what's essentially a love-hate relationship. Both are stubborn, and both are fiercely independent, so at the end of their lifetime, is it surprising that they didn't end up being with each other? Probably not.
In any case, I consider this an interesting sample of Mexican literature. I don't typically read novels by Mexican writers, but every time I pick one up, I always do a double-take, such as in this one. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. It's not the most accessible book, but at least it's short.
See my other book reviews here.
