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Read Mascara: A Novel (2004)

Mascara: A Novel (2004)

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Rating
3.49 of 5 Votes: 3
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ISBN
1583226419 (ISBN13: 9781583226414)
Language
English
Publisher
seven stories press

Mascara: A Novel (2004) - Plot & Excerpts

J.M. Coetzee's Afterword implies a clear ending to a convoluted story which, by the way, is told in three first person narratives with an epilogue to muddy the waters. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coetzee and readily concede that he is probably quite good at reading and reviewing works of fiction. However, I would suggest that the majority of the plot gradually becomes clear, but the ending remains opaque. He also repeatedly gets the name of one of the three main characters wrong. He just seems to take a lazy approach when he wraps up the plot so neatly.One of the great things about Dorfman's novel(la) is, in fact, the ambiguity. It seems to live in the real world but its characters are slowly revealed to have almost comic book capabilities, and those come with the requisite drawbacks. Indeed, two of the characters seem to be almost super-villains. Certainly, the plot appears complex because it's revealed in what appears to be a transcription of face-to-face, dueling monologues, complete with digressions and backtracking. But the events are made more or less clear, at least until the veiled climax."A Sort of Epilogue" is delivered in the third person omniscient (dialogue only!) and spells out the ambiguity that Coetzee seems to ignore. We are left with two police state heavies interrogating the only possible witness to the final confrontation, and it appears she has contradicted herself. She could not have been aware of the threats and promises made in the actual confrontation so has only the result to reveal, or cover up, according to who ends up her master.Mascara is certainly worth reading; it's a unique book with a surreal edge that successfully portrays venality and lust for power in a macabre confrontation between yin and yang.

What do You think about Mascara: A Novel (2004)?

chilean novelist ariel dorfman, like many of his contemporaries, was forced into exile following the 1973 coup. too, like many of his fellow latin american writers, he is grossly neglected by many (if not most) in english-speaking countries. he currently teaches in north carolina at duke university.mascara, in many ways, defies traditional classification as a novel. it explores identity, the individual, anonymity, aesthetics, appearances, betrayal, beauty, modern culture, and the media. the narrative, told mostly in the first person, is infused with an inertia that propels the story onward at a commanding pace. dorfman, through an obfuscated and unnamed character, is able to craft a story of intrigue and import. it is one in which the reader is left to assert for him or herself the ever-growing effects of a culture that values the facade over substance, the form over the function. it is, perhaps, all the more modern now than when he wrote it some twenty years ago. in too many ways, there is a tragic, nearly horrific, aspect to the novel as a whole.dorfman writes tantalizingly well, and leads the reader to places unexpected, all but forcing one to confront the many things he has left unsaid. though the story is a simple one, there is a complexity and richness that unfurls only upon further thought. the seven stories press edition has an elucidating afterword by nobel laureate j.m. coetzee.
—jeremy

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