I picked this up one day because I suddenly found myself with a spare three hours when I was in Glasgow’s town centre, but it didn’t feel like it was worth it to go home only to head back in later. The logical thing (for me) to do with this time would normally be to head for a coffee shop and read my Kindle. My Kindle was out of charge. So I went into Waterstones and accidentally bought three books when I had meant to only buy one. This was one of them.
I’d used up a fair bit of my time with shopping but I still nearly managed to read this quite short novel in a single sitting. In the past, I’d read Marquez’s 100 Years of Solitude which I’d enjoyed, but couldn’t help feeling that I hadn’t fully understood. 100 Years of Solitude it the kind of book that I think you can probably get more out of every time you read it.
Of Love and Other Demons is, at least on the surface, slightly simpler. It follows the story of a young girl with dysfunctional parents after she is bitten by a rabid dog. Although she doesn’t exhibit symptoms this is a sudden reason for her parents, most especially her father, to start to take an interest in her.
As with 100 Years of Solitude, it is quite mystical at times and certain characters are incredibly vivid. Marquez is a master of the grotesque in a way that people normally praise Dickens for, except that Marquez does it far better and is nowhere near as kind.
So the novel may be short but it’s perfectly formed and, perhaps because it doesn’t feature hundreds of people with almost identical names, I found it much easier to follow than 100 Years of Solitude. It’s a very satisfying story and, being such a quick read, I’d cheerfully recommend it to almost anyone.
Originally posted here: http://unazukin210.tumblr.com/post/131872746400/book-review-of-love-and-other-demons
In Becky's Head 