Review of 'My Fathers' Ghost Is Climbing in the Rain' by Patricio Pron
3 stars
"You don't ever want to know certain things, because what you know belongs to you, and there are certain things you never want to own."
I originally found this book in a charity shop going for £1, and the name was too intriguing to pass up on. It tells a semi-autobiographical, semi-fictionalized story of a man visiting his dying father and uncovering a mystery revolving around a disappearance. But really it's about the history of Argentina, and how authoritarian trauma passes down through generations.
From what I remember, the first third of this book is full of lovely prose but is light on storytelling, the second third features lots of plot progression but is told almost entirely through newspaper articles, and the final third is a mix of both. It's not a perfect novel by any means, but I enjoyed my time with it.
"You don't ever want to know certain things, because what you know belongs to you, and there are certain things you never want to own."
I originally found this book in a charity shop going for £1, and the name was too intriguing to pass up on. It tells a semi-autobiographical, semi-fictionalized story of a man visiting his dying father and uncovering a mystery revolving around a disappearance. But really it's about the history of Argentina, and how authoritarian trauma passes down through generations.
From what I remember, the first third of this book is full of lovely prose but is light on storytelling, the second third features lots of plot progression but is told almost entirely through newspaper articles, and the final third is a mix of both. It's not a perfect novel by any means, but I enjoyed my time with it.
