torevind's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
anetq's review against another edition
4.0
En lille historie om bødler og ofre - fra bødlens perspektiv - eller i hvert fald bødlens tredie underordnede, eftersom de ansvarlige som regel slipper for straf, når torturregimerne endelig vælter...
jasonfurman's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent even enjoyable -- which is not exactly the first word that is meant to spring to mind about a novella narrated in the first person by a low-level torturer/secret policy detective from a recently deposed Latin American dictatorship. Also the "crime" he is part of uncovering is heartbreaking. Altogether, reads like Kafka with more specificity or Kadare set in Latin America. Altogether it appears to have been written from the perspective of the banality of evil, with one cog in the bureaucracy, rather than the monster promised to readers in the inside flap.
girlandgiraffe's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
soolooee's review against another edition
2.0
I found the style and story of this book very boring. Its never taken me so long to get through such a short book.
athoughtfulrecord's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.0
dommasc's review against another edition
2.0
Not sure if it’s the story or the translation but this just didn’t click. I’m interested in re reading now that I know the story better and can read it again knowing it. It’s a very bleak book, I bought this at the beach and I’m glad I didn’t get around to reading it there cause this is not a light beach read at all. Maybe the second time around will be better.
jasminenoack's review
3.0
This is a good meta novel working together biography/memoir and story telling. It brings the "evil" to the front. I mean I wish I could give it four stars but it does seem a bit average compared to his other book. 3.5 stars is the most it can carry.
bab's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 – sencillo y corto, pero estructura y contenidos brillantes.
ailsapeacock's review against another edition
1.0
"He perched one buttock on Rodriguez's desk."19
"He makes his way ponderously around the desk and parks one buttock on it." 98
"He makes his way ponderously around the desk and parks one buttock on it." 98