Specs
Reviews
(4/5)So, ... the story is simple, a couple of shape-shifting aliens land in Barcelona, one goes missing and a comedy of errors and cultural misunderstandings ensue. Unfortunately, that's the only simple thing about this book.
In the author's afterword, he says something to the effect that part of the book's success is that it's so easy to read and that it's so easy to read because it's so colloquial. Ummmm, ... yeah, that's exactly why this is so hard for learners.
I'm in the Extensive Reading camp and I was overwhelmed with colloquial words and phrases that I not only didn't know but that, because of the short journal entry style writing, lacked any surrounding context for me to intuit their meanings; one of the few exceptions was "chorizarme la cartera" ... stole my wallet, ... that one I got from context. If you look at that and shrug 'cause you've known that for ages, this book won't kick you in the shins like it did me. But, for me, this kind of informal language is hard to learn.
You may note that the above cover image and blurb say that this particular edition comes with a reading guide. My copy didn't ... oh well, it would have helped with the cultural references. But what that says to me is that most of the people reading it today aren't expected to get all, or even most, of the references. I'd add that I don't think everyone was expected to get all of them even back in 1990. I say that because our narrator, one of those shape-shifting aliens, takes on the appearance of a score of different people throughout the book, some spanish, some international, some writers, some actors, and ... an 18th century French mathematician. If you can find the version with the reading guide, that's the one to get as it would certainly help.
However, the one reference that you absolutely must know is Marta Sanchez, the guise Gurb takes on at the beginning of the book; look her up, watch some videos, 'cause this is a central joke.
Still, I did think the humor came through. Anyone who's ever lived in or even visited a big city will recognize a lot of the chaos, confusion and frustration. And anyone who's been lonely, especially in a big city or while traveling, will find something recognizable here, too.
I'd absolutely recommend this. It's funny, it's touching, but it's also advanced, despite what the author says.
Tricky for learners
This book I think would be very entertaining to people with a strong grasp of Spanish, and importantly, a familiarity with famous Spaniards and also a decent local knowledge of Barcelona. Compared to books I've read at around levels 30-34, this was considerably more work. There were many odd phrases and cultural references that were hard or impossible to understand even with a dictionary on hand. And while I could bumble through the story more-or-less following the happenings, I felt I was missing out on the jokes. I plan to revisit this book once I reach an advanced level, because I am sure that there is a lot of hilarity in there still waiting for me to decipher it.