A review by gkcnoble
Bestiario by Julio Cortázar

dark emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Bestiary is the love child of Franz Kafka and Anne Sexton. Similar to Kafka, Cortázar digs deep into his characters' psyches, revealing their vulnerabilities in a way that throws the reader into a sea of discoveries. His peculiar plots support the characters’ personality development, who similarly to Kafka's bug, evolve before your eyes into archetypal figures driven by their own unique and distorted needs, desires, and wants. Like Anne Sexton, Cortazar's prose leads you into a world of macabre symbolism, where his characters don't simply narrate a story but casually and honestly confess their innermost darkest thoughts, sins and perceptions of self and others.
Cortázar's prose is eery and unapologetically humorous, fueled by sardonic juxtaposition. His metaphors and analogies are far from cliche; instead, they showcase Cortázar's gifted eye for bizarre yet clever, meaningful symbolism. As you read Bestiary, you're never quite sure where the story is heading until the very end. It's only when we understand the characters' inner conflict and their reactions to the environment that we can truly comprehend their motives.
Bestiary provides deep insights into human nature, politics, mental health, societal values and expectations. 

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