Twist

by Harkaitz Cano, Amaia Gabantxo (Translation)

Rare book

Genres: Fiction, Literature

420 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Harkaitz Cano Jauregi (1975) es uno de los mayores exponentes de la literatura vasca actual. Su trabajo se extiende por casi todos los géneros: cuento, novela, poesía, ensayo. Sus publicaciones más recientes son la novela «Twist» (2013) y el poemario «Compro oro» (2011). Colabora habitualmente con músicos y artistas de diferentes disciplinas. Como guionista de cómica ha publicado dos álbumes junto al dibujante Iñaki G. Holgado. Su obra ha sido traducida al inglés, al holandés, al italiano y al ruso, entre otros idiomas.

Reviews

[Елвира · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 *

Мноого, много добър роман. Успешно съчетава съвременни политически драми със съвременните проблеми на личността, на участниците в любовната двойка и семейните отношения между родителите и вече порасналите деца. Впечатлена съм! Чудесен и богат език с много мъдрост, както и много хубав превод и издание на български език.

Подобен тип книги са чудесен повод да си поприпомни човек за баския сепаратизъм и че макар и сред кървави политически неуредици на високо държавно ниво, животът на всички се свежда до едни и същи общи трагизми на младостта, жизнените избори, надежди или пък съжаления. С това ми напомни малко на Уелбек, макар че той отдава значително по-голямо място на тея първите и е доста по-безкомпромисен и вулгарен по отношение на вторите.

[Shawn Mooney (Shawn Breathes Books)]

I could not finish this book. I bailed at the 9% mark. Any book that contains the following sentences – among some of the worst I’ve ever encountered in any published work of fiction – is not worth an additional moment of my valuable reading time:

“She didn’t call him in tears but, rather, after having cried. She pointlessly tried to hide it from him. Lazkano’s job required that he observe the human condition, instincts, yearnings, impulses, and construct coherent fiction based on such observations; details are his life, it’s the only ability he has that he can be proud of. And so he immediately noticed his mother’s unease.”

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Fernando Garcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Esperaba mucho más de este libro y, de hecho, empieza bien, con un valiente acercamiento a un tema jodido, como es la tortura y el asesinato de Lasa y Zabala, pero se enreda, se enreda, se enreda... introduciendo personajes, tramas y escenas que no van a ninguna parte, con personajes muy parecidos y voces que se confunden. Y largo, laaaargo: sus más de 400 páginas necesitan ponerse a dieta pero ya.

[Luisfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Son 66, cifra imprecisa de otro tiempo con empeño silenciado en beneficio del tópico de lo modélico. 66 allí y no pocas en otros lares. Atado y jodidamente atado.

Aquí se desempolvan dos de esas 66, fundacionales de la vergüenza de una democracia, con señor X, de aquel cinismo cómplice que solo Bandrés y Carrillo sacudían desde gallineros.

El arranque tétrico, a ratos cómico, siempre aleccionador y en desgarro, vale todos los premios que celebró. Luego se desparrama la historia y sin perder (del todo, entre tipografías y dale-dale) deja en inalcanzable el inicio. Al cierre marcamos todos de nuevo gol, en memoria de la juventud perdida. El absurdo del terror que se retroalimenta. ¿Alguien puede dudarlo desde hoy? No faltarán los que defiendan que todo pasado valió la pena. Ni aquel Anglet-Bayona ni hoy Jan Yunis, inequiparables (subrayado).

[Harris]

Man I really hated this book when he talked about women and loved it when he talked about the ETA

[Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting. Completely worthwhile

[Pep Bonet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Supongo que hubiera debido darle 3 estrellas y media, pero hay que elegir. Me quedo con tres. El lbro es interesante. Plantea un entramado de problemas personales a través de una historia basada en los famosos casos de Lasa y Zabala. Aunque la historia gira mayormente alrededor de personajes relacionados con los torturados/desaparecidos, no se trata de un libro de carácter político, sino una reflexión sobre las miserias de la vida cotidiana. El estilo es muy interesante, aunque por momentos requiere una cierta voluntad de seguir leyendo. En efecto, tiene una cierta tendencia a intelectualizar situaciones. Pero ciertamente huye del relato lineal y facilón. Me pareció un buen intento, bastante logrado. Como anécdota, tengo que añadir que se hace curioso leer el libro en español. Al menos en dos ocasiones se "nota" la traducción por cuestiones culturales. Así, no suena en español que un político socialista del País Vasco hable de una instancia estatal. Más sibilina aún es la ausencia de la palabra Euskadi, incluo de País Vasco; en cambio aparece Iparralde y, sobre todo, comunidad autónoma, denominación tradicional de los abertzales al referirse a Euskadi.
Buena lectura, que me permite descubrir a un autor interesante.

[S.Ravkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as part of my reading-of-the-world project (Basque Country).

This book hit all the spots for me. I loved the characters, which had depth and dimension unusual to find even in the best of fiction. The plot was clear but specifics on how it got to the end were often surprising. The place and time were of interest to me even if this wasn’t for the reading-of-the-world project. Finally, the last sentence in the book brought me to tears. I will read this book again, and I will continue to think about it for some time to come. With all that in mind, there are a few notes to add.

First, KEEP READING even if you get confused in the first few pages. I almost didn’t read this book because the first chapter made no sense and was written in what felt like either a haphazard way or a really poor translation. I originally set the book aside with the idea of maybe trying it again later. And I am so thankful I did. The structure of the book is an interesting one - there is a lot of movement between past and present and sometimes it is not immediately clear which timeframe the story is in. But this is OK, keep reading and it all makes sense in the end.

Second, the story is about survivor’s guilt and the long term consequences of it. As someone who has (and continues) to suffer from this, the story may have touched me particularly strongly. Almost every page had a quote that I wanted to copy down and place in my journal. At the same time, I realize the book may not resonate with others to the same degree, and may even be impossible to read for those who similarly suffer.

Third - and it has nothing to do with the story - the edition that I read was so wonderful to hold and look at. Part of the reading experience for me is often tactile, and I have not loved holding a book this much in quite some time. The size, the shape, the binding, the paper, the font were all just wonderful. I plan to look up this publisher (archipelago books) and purchase other books from them in the future.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a long and meandering 2013 political thriller and crime novel, written in Basque and now translated into English, centred around the murder of two ETA militants (based on a true story) and the effect that this has on their friend and comrade Diego Lazkano over the ensuing decades. The book explores the long term consequences of terrorism and violence and how the past continues to haunt the present. It does this quite powerfully, as we follow Diego through his life totally unable to escape from his guilt at what happened to his friends. I feel that any reader would benefit from knowing at least a little about ETA in the 1980s to fully appreciate the novel, although in many ways the book has relevance to any independence or separatist movement, and we are all too used to hearing about political terrorism right now. There are many sub-plots that I found hard to place within the context of the main narrative, some of which seemed completely extraneous to it, and although they were enjoyable in themselves (a section on translating and staging Chekhov’s Platonov) others seemed totally unnecessary (one of the women characters becomes obsessed by internet porn) There are some rather distasteful sex scenes which again add little to the story. So I felt somewhat ambivalent about the novel overall. Eminently readable and engaging, interesting to read something about ETA, convincing in the portrayal of guilt, betrayal and remorse, but a little too cluttered with unnecessary episodes, detracting from the pace and cohesion of the whole. Well worth reading, however.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm flabbergasted. The first 50-60 pages or so are narratively a disaster and I kept wondering why they weren't cut. Once w're finally introduced to the (more or less) protagonist, Diego, I finally got into the swing of things. The relationship with his disappeared friends, the survivor's guilt, and all the grief associated with remembering the past, was the strongest part of this book. It got even more interesting with the introduction of the detective, and the various ways their pasts intersected, and how they were going to try and get deaths accounted for.

And then it just... doesn't? The book falls off a cliff? All the storylines, characters, whatever, get pushed aside for some of the stupidest shit I've had to read. I could go on for paragraphs at how despicably this author wrote about each female character and what he did with their arcs. There is a certain section around the 400 page mark where it felt like the author had accidentally published a first draft in which there were just pages and pages of dialogue to fill space. The momentum the first half builds is absolutely butchered in one page and then it comes back for sentimentality purposes in the last tenth of the book. It made this book so not worth reading.

Learned a little bit about the ETA, Basque Country, and this is my first time reading Basque in translation, so if nothing else, shoutout to Archipelago Books for their mission in publishing works in translation. Alas, this is pretty garbage. Generously giving the 3 star rating, but more of a 2.5

[Rubén Lorenzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro tiene cosas muy interesantes y algunas que se hacen pesadas. La historia está muy bien contada al inicio, con saltos en el tiempo y de personajes, pero siempre aportando algo importante. Sin embargo, a media novela he perdido interés, sobre todo cuando tenemos un montón de escenas de vida cotidiana, si bien con un toque especial, de personajes triviales que no me han llegado a interesar.

Sin desvelar demasiado, diría que el final es anti climático, no me ha parecido redondo. Además, la primera escena, que es muy potente, no llega a desarrollarse.

Me doy cuenta de que estoy criticando más de la cuenta para un libro que valoro con tres estrellas. Lo que pasa es que hay reflexiones muy interesantes y un buen desarrollo de personajes. Aunque ha habido momentos de pereza a la hora de leer, ninguno ha sido porque una parte fuera mala de por sí. No creo que este autor sea capaz de hacer nada sin al menos una pizca de interés.

En resumen, un libro de ficción que nos enseña la pérdida y la sensación de culpabilidad del protagonista y cómo vive con ellas. Recomendable.

[Røbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this one. On the plus side: a readable book providing a good balanced view of the Basque independence movement, and the ongoing consequences of the more militant side of it in the 1980s; deals with language rights (and is of course written in Basque originally); some great extended passages sitting slightly above the main narrative. But, on the minus side: some quite excruciatingly bad straight male point of view sex scenes; tedious name-dropping of other literature; overall cliched-ridden, following many of the most generic expectations we have of tv box set thrillers.

Although it is a quick read, at 500 pages or so, I'd struggle to recommend to everyone as a general read. But if you are interested in digging into European regional politics, or just want to read more diversely, give it a go.

[Ken Moskowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cano is obviously a talented writer. It's a sprawling political novel: profane, violent, with many side channels, some humor, lots of knowing arty references. The hero is a radical Basque writer so we should expect his disregard for any niceties or bourgeois standards. He's also been a victim of torture and carries massive guilt feelings.

I enjoyed the story but wondered if the engrossing central story were played out more fully and its implications explored. But Cano seems to have been more interested in the political and artistic issues, as well as the personal relationships of the novelist hero.

[Vanessa Fernández · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Eres sintaxis, pura gramática. Un montón de palabras sin identidad. Pronto recobrarás también la memoria. No sufres más que una amnesia profunda, quizás recibieras un golpe, quién sabe; tienes que desperezarte, ahuyentar la resaca tormentosa de quien se acaba de despertar, la severa resaca tras una borrachera de tequila; de tequila o de cualquiera que fuese el veneno destilado que bebierais hace veinticinco años. No, ya te has dado cuenta: lo tuyo no será tan fácil como levantarse del prado, sacudirse las briznas de hierba de los pantalones y reanudar la marcha silbando.”

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 23%. It wasn't too bad, but the niggling feeling remained that I needed to know a lot more about the Basque story to get the best from these pages. But what decided its fate was that despite big things happening to the characters, which belies the lightly literary fiction branding, I just didn't care for them enough. Given the patience and the background knowledge, I can see the right person liking this to some high extent, however.

[Dirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a "could have been" book for me. Twist had many of the elements that make up a great work of fiction, but it also had many unnecessary elements--digressions galore--that subtracted from its power. Cano strikes me as an author who has a lot to say, and so he says all of it, whether or not it truly serves his story.

I liked the cover art by Joseph Bueys on the Archipelago Books edition. It reminds me of early sketches by Abigail McLaurin.

[Cuồng Say]

8 November, 2:37AM

[Manuel Mellado Cuerno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro apasionante. De principio a fin. Delicado. Elegante. Qué gustazo!!!

[Павел Боянов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книгата е силна. Поздравявам този каталунски автор.

[Unai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mundu krudel hontako hainbat aspektu era gogor batean plazaratzen ditu Harkaitz Cano idazleak nobela honetan. Gomendagarria

[Ariane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gogorra. Lehen kapituloa irakurri dudan istoriorik gogorrena da.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good bits. Long passages of not adding to the plot.

[Leire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gai konplexuak mahai gainera ekartzen dituen liburu bat. Soto eta Zeberiori buruzko pasarteak egin zaizkit interesgarrienak, baita tortura baina lehen, bitartean eta gero gertatutakoa azaltzen zaigunean. Gai zailak planteatzen ditu, gaur egun oraindik errelebanteak direnak.

Baina beste guztia... Ez dakit, luzeegia egin zait liburua. Pertsonai asko agertzen dira eta gauza gehiegi planteatzen dira askotan inora ez iristeko. Trama batzuk orri gehiegi eduki dituztela iruditu zait.

Eta agian ni naiz, baina emakumeak idazteko era... Iruditu zait agertzen diren emakume guztiak sexualizatzen direla, asko gainera. Exageratua iruditu zait. Denekin eduki nahi da edo edukitzen dira harreman sexualak. Oso pertsonai gutxi ez dira sexualizatzen (normalean zaharrak diren amak edo arrebaren bat). Sexu pasarte batzuk soberan daudela iruditu zait.

Gizon batek idatzitako emakumeak iruditu zaizkit.

[Gari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liburua ondo dago, baina kostatu zait bukatzea. Azkenerako luze edo.