Seven Empty Houses

A collection of short stories translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell. All of the stories are terrific, but the fourth (the centerpiece of the book) is quite extraordinary, telling the story of an elderly woman grappling with dementia. Schweblin parses out the details in a way that reminded me a bit of Zeller's play "The Father." Once you catch on to what is happening, however, it is absorbing. The story "An Unlucky Man" is another where we are limited by the main character's perspective but also grasp what is happening in a way that the character does not (or can not) and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Excellent stories in what I assume is a sympathetic translation.

I read the first two stories and found myself very .. uninterested. Doesn’t feel like her other works.