La sombra del púgil. (The Pugilist’s Shadow)

Reviewed by Sophie Lavoie, Univ. of New Brunswick, Fredericton -- Críticas, 8/15/2008 9:00:00 AM

Berti, Eduardo.
Colombia/U.S.: Norma. 2008. 181p. ISBN 978-958-45-0692-4. pap. $14.95. FICTION

Now a resident of Paris, the Argentinian-born Berti, named a noteworthy author by the Times Literary Supplement, is the author of two story collections and four novels. Both his reworking of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Wakefield, La mujer de Wakefield (Tusquets, 2002), which was nominated for France’s Femina prize, and Todos los Funes (Anagrama, 2004), short-listed for Spain’s Herralde Prize in 2004, have been translated into several languages, including French and Korean. This, his fourth novel, centers on the life of a family in Buenos Aires and their fascination with a boxer/clockmaker named Justino whose intricate life and ties to the family are later revealed. Told from the collective memory and voice of the three brothers and with the tumultuous 1970s Argentina as a historical backdrop, the novel weaves an enigmatic account of boxing, love, secrets, family ties, and time. The three brothers supply dates, events, and accounts as part of their quest to uncover the boxer’s shadow. As proof of his journalistic influences, Berti’s characterization is exemplary, and his characters are profoundly human, their stories told with a casual, conversational tone. Readers will surely empathize with the struggles Berti describes; the multiple versions of history these battles create make for very appealing reading. Recommended for public libraries with extensive Spanish-language collections and/or serving Argentineans, all academic libraries, and bookstores.

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