r/robertobolano

I’m more than halfway through 2666 and I keep waiting for it to click – and it just hasn’t.

I’m in the section about the murders, and I know this is supposed to be a barrage of violence. But even beyond this section I’m having a hard time finding a reason to keep going. It’s starting to feel like a slog.

I’m a big reader, and this came strongly recommended by a friend whose taste I really trust, so I went into it expecting to be blown away. Instead, I’m kind of stuck in this weird place where I don’t even fully know what I don’t like about it. The book just isn’t clicking for me.

For people who love 2666: what am I missing? Is there a shift later that makes the whole thing come together? Did anyone else feel this way halfway through and end up glad they finished? 

Convince me to keep going!

Edit: I know I can stop reading. I was more hoping to hear from people on why they love the book, how they read it, and why it clicked for them when it did. I've read many books where that took a while for me.

I got him it for Christmas and he really liked it, I’d like to buy him another by Bolano, what would be a good suggestion?

Edit: thanks for the suggestions everyone! I’ve decided to go with Distant Star

- loved the moth podcast

- had a lot to say about true crime podcasts

I recently finished reading 2666 &, as a lot of people in here have done as well, was totally engrossed in the world of 2666: the absurdity, the despair, the dry & not so dry humor, all of it! I wanted to make a playlist that captured or at least hinted at the many feelings of 2666 along with any music that is explicitly referenced in the novel (e.g. Bolero music & Twin Peaks) & would love to get your recommendations!

I included the playlist for reference so you can see what I have so far - can’t wait to see what y’all suggest!

I'm reading the recently published collection of short stories at the minute and there's one called "Detectives". In it, two Chilean policemen discuss, amongst other things, the time when they had former classmate Arturo Belano in one of their cells for a few days during the coup.

Obviously, Belano is Bolaño and the account seems based on Bolaño's real experience as told through the eyes of two fictional cops.

I was wondering if anyone knows to what extent Bolaño is giving us a true account of his brief time in a Santiago jail before he left Chile forever, or how embellished it is, and whether the cops/ex-classmates are based on real people, too? There seems to be minimal information online about this story.

More broadly, it's amongst the more interesting of the short stories I've read so far. It's purely dialogue and feels inspired by Jules and Vincent in Pulp Fiction.