The Invention Of Morel (New York Review Books Classics)

This is a very short novel which presents a mysterious situation that, the first time I read it, I tried so hard to work out – how is this happening? – without success. When the author revealed the solution, or twist, it was so brilliant that I may have squealed aloud. This is a book I return to every few years, but also regularly purchase as a gift. And there is yet to be one disappointed recipient.

Excellent read.! A bit niche but still good.!

Like many sci-fi stories this short book starts with a brilliant concept. The main character is on the run and has escaped to a seemingly abondoned hotel on a deserted island. Here he survives okay until suddenly people start to arrive. Initially he flees and hides from them but soon comes to realise they are totally unable to see or hear him. What distinguishes this story though is the perfectly logical explanation for these events that is slowly revealed. Whilst many such tales have pretty lame, unexplained or purely ridiculous reasons for their bizarre beginnings "The Invention of Morel" never wavers from it's clear and precise plot and it's implications are rather profound.

Enjoyable. I took a punt with this title and I wasn't disappointed.

Totally absorbing.

yes

A great book with a fine, original plot. Tightly written, expertly translated, thought provoking, thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended. Do read A Reading Diary (Manguel)for lots of background on the author and the book.

A very strange novella, and one where in retrospect I think the reader actually benefits from having read spoilers as to what's going on, otherwise it all seems too weird and Kafka-esque for words for the first half. Our narrator, an unnamed Venezuelan, on the run from jail or death, has fled to an uninhabited island in the Ellice Archipelago. This is a strange and horrible island: there's a museum, chapel and swimming pool. There's awful and unpredictable tides, and unidentifiable machines in the basement. The narrator comments on how hard the trees are; how he thinks he can't see the skylight and has to go and check it's still there (later on you see where this was leading.) One day he finds a large group of people have arrived and taken over the museum, although he never saw a ship. In terror of discovery at first, he soon falls for gypsy-like Faustine..... The preface describes this as an adventure story, which you eventually find it is. It would undoubtedly be worth a second read, once you've understood the idea behind it. Quite a clever idea, but can't say I enjoyed it.

I don't usually post Amazon reviews, but more people should know about this book. Imagine a crafty, short sci-fi story with a narrator who is hardly the pinnacle of charisma, wit, or reliability, but who manages in a short tale to change the way you think about what it means to be in contact with another human, about photography, about death and the love of life. The translation reads superbly as well.

After years of hunting for this all time classic finally a superb edition from NYRB Books. Prologue by the master, Jorge Luis Borges.

A man chronicles his strange journey while marooned on an island with strange machinery in his diary. As he obsessively dissects the island with his considerable perception to understanding what is happening, he, in turn, ends up disassembling and learning more about himself. This book is masterful in its thematic throughline. I have always been fascinated with perspective and perception. Without feedback from other people, we become disturbingly reliant on motivated thinking. It is so crucial to a persons' identity that we interact with other people; without it we never really know ourselves at all. How much of what we see is actually just a projection of ourselves? Without any means of distinction, reality takes on an unknowable Otherness. With the stream of consciousness that fits very well with a diary written in blissful, straightforward prose, the mind of the man cultivates almost uncanny anticipation of the readers’ thoughts. Even as he does something absurd, or has not taken something crucial into account, or is overly cruel in his observations—you have only to turn the page and discover he himself knows this and wrestles with the same problem. It’s also more frenetic than a modern thriller, almost genre-bending as our man desperately tries to make sense of the goings-on. And as such, the reader establishes synchronicity with the story as it unfolds. Something of a feat given how old the text is. It still feels fresh and original and regards a human experience that will forever be, (ironically, if you’ve read it), timeless. It made me think about more than that. But any more would be considerable spoilers and this is a book with a reading experience where the less you know, the better, in my opinion.

What makes you decide to read a book? It does not matter that the book was inspired by Louise Brooks but that could be intriguing enough for a start. It is encouraging when someone like Borges- the fantasist - recommends it. Comparisons to Philip K.Dick or Chesterton are handy, perhaps, as a hint. You may wonder how all of these very different references fit in this slim book. But finally, when you do read it, all those references have to fall away (but perhaps not too far away) and the book must stand on its own. Bioy Casares has created a surprising little marvel. Our hero is escaping the police for an unnamed capital crime, and finds himself on an island (a map is provided) decorated with three pristine buildings on the hill, but otherwise a barely hospitable place of vicious high tides, mosquitoes, swamps, reeds and misery. As you work through this environment, Borges does come to mind, as it seems fantastic, with the imagery that seems a signature of South America genius. You'll find yourself trying to determine whether what he describes is real or his own imaginings. After exploring every cranny of the buildings --and the descriptions remind me of art deco drawings, clean, clear, balanced but at the same time ornate-- he finds one day that the island is suddenly inhabited. Not wanting to be discovered, he skulks around the visitors, drawn especially to the pensive and lovely Faustine and the book slips from Borges to a period mystery, a la Chesterton. His understanding of the situation increases and it becomes more like a science fiction invention (the reference to Philip K Dick)... but still there is more, and when you realize there IS more, it becomes Casares' own novel, and stands on its own. It becomes a meditation on the nature of reality and our inability to separate the appearance from the nature of what is observed, the thin border between our own projections and fact, and even our willingness to consciously live in delusion. Does our hero become insane or is the answer to the mystery the whole answer, and his solution rational? This is a very short book, with twice the atmosphere. It is intriguing even while it feels like it is of its own time (1925 or so). When you finish it (in a day perhaps) you may want to read it again to take the time to notice how Casares has molded so many elements into a coherent story, building dread, curiosity and solutions incredibly cleverly. This is definitely worth your time if you like a book that is bigger than itself.

a rather quick read. you're thrown into the story and don't know what's happening or what's real anymore. is faustine real? is the narrator real? is he a stalker or the stalked? why is he so scared of others that he prefers to hide in the bushes? or is it all just a plan to get closer to the people in the museum? questions over questions that will be answered shortly (it only has 103 pages). i really enjoyed this. although i have to say that after the "big reveal" the story fell a little flat. but the book will still give you chills.