Author: Joaquín Pérez Azaústre
- Fiction
- Editorial Anagrama
- ISBN: 9788433972422
- Release Date: 01-02-2013
-Reviewed by: Jorge Romero
Los Nadadores presents the story of Jonás, a journalist photographer whose swimming routine is described in detail for about half of the book. Needles to say, the story’s first half is a bit difficult to get through. The two main characters, Jonás and Sergio, go swimming every day and when Jonás’ mother vanishes without a trace, they suddenly discover that many other people are starting to disappear without any apparent explanation. And here begins the mystery as a prelude to the riddle of existence: why we are here and why we are no longer. Jonás embarks on a journey to find clues that will lead him to find out about his mother’s whereabouts. While doing this, he fears he may himself disappear and no one will ever know what happened to him. The end is pretty open so the reader can interpret it in whatever way they choose to do so.
This is a social novel about our modern life, which according to the author, tends to isolate us from other people, even though we may think we are still connected. The story is much of a “Kafkan situation”, meaning that much of the story’s climax has the feeling of being a menacing situation in which after the disappearances, Jonás feels paranoid, he is in a situation in which one can see no way out but in which one barely even knows who one's enemies are, or in which faceless authorities seem to be manipulating one's life.
The overall idea of Los Nadadores is good. The mystery that surrounds the main characters and the symbolism throughout the story is very subtle but fascinating. Some of the symbols in the book include the pool, and being a journalist photographer among others. The literature value of this book is grand. Because of the writing style and the literate value, Los Nadadores will be a great asset and addition to any academic or public library. Again, most of the interesting reading is in the second half of the book, where the mysteries are trying to be solved and the storyline blends well with the rest of the book.
Joaquín Pérez Azaústre changed his writing style during this book and it suits him well. Los Nadadores is well written, the dialogue is very fluid and detailed, the book is a bit slow to start but interesting, and overall is a great addition to the latest series of novels written in the last few years.
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