Mala Onda

Rating:
Summary: The first post-Pinochet Chilean novel
Review: Fuguet is the first author of a new generation of Chilean novelists who do not refer explicitly to our recent political past. Although many elements of the society of those years appear in his first novel, the plot is constructed along much wider concepts. The story evolves around the typical problems of a western teen ager, aggravated by his dismembering family. If one excludes the continuos references to places and people of early 80's Santiago, it could be said that the story is pretty 'universal'. As to Fuguet's influences, he recognizes his indebtedness to JD Salinger's 'The Catcher in he Rye' and Marcela Paz's Papelucho saga. On the whole, Mala Onda is a very good novel (with a great ending) that offers a different point of view and writing style to Latin American literature. If you like this one, you should definitely go on to Fuguet's later works.

Rating:
Summary: less than zero
Review: I did find this book to be very interesting and badly needed in Chile. So much upper middle class denial in youth of the reality that is present all around them. It approaches pathological proportions in Chile. The narrative style did seem similar to Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis which was published in 1985. Fuguet's novel was published in 1991. I wonder if Fuguet has read Ellis's novel?

Rating:
Summary: Nace la nueva narrativa chilena
Review: Leí mala onda hace poco, y luego, impulsado por severas críticas a la versión inglesa -bad vibes-, leí tb menos que Cero y American psycho y el guardián entre el centeno; y, en verdad, aunque les enconmtré la constancia de narrador (el tiempo usado), no creo que este libro sea una copia de menos que cero, teniendo en cuenta que mala onda su publico un par de años después de estar escrito y salió a la venta casi a la par con el libro de ellis; o sea, éste sería algo más antiguo... Pero es bueno, no sé si lo entendí más porque soy adolescente o qué, pero el hecho es que ,e llegó de una manera distinta a los de Vargas llosa, siendo que me identifico con los libros de ambos (como que en, por ejemplo, la ciudad y los perros uno se ve reflejado en las acciones, mientras que en mala onda, yo, al menos, me sentía identificado con las "ideas" que llevaban, finalmente, a esas acciones). Fuguet recién esté empezando, y si de verdad quieren comprenderlo, DEBEn leer por favor, rebobinar, Tinta Roja, Sobredosis y mala onda, porque no es un escritor de un sólo libro.