I can't remember the last time I read for pleasure. I only know it was Albert Camus' El extranjero (that was a good last book), but I can't remember the exact date or how many months ago it was.
Today, after all these months, I want to get back into the habit, and I think the best way to do that is slowly, with light but GOOD reading (yes, I have a lot of faith in this book, and you'll see why).
The book is Adonde van los perros cuando mueren (Where dogs go when they die), by Dario Cisneros. Why do I have faith in it? Precisely because it's by Dario.
He's a 24-year-old Cuban guy, from Santiago to be more specific. We studied together in high school, but after that I didn't hear from him again until a couple months ago. He's in Spain and has just published a book (he's fulfilling his dreams).
His book has 11 stories written in such a way that you won't get bored or tired reading them. That's why I say it's the best thing I could have chosen to start reading again, something short but good.
Today I'll just talk about his first story, maybe later I'll give my opinion on all the others, or maybe just the ones that had an impact on me, I don't know.
- La lista mental (The mental list):
This story tells us about Carlos, a 71-year-old man with “some” dementia. He is visited by Julio, a friend of the same age whom he hasn't seen in a long time. They talk a lot (old people really like that) and Carlos complains about how he sometimes forgets who has died and who is still alive. Carlos lives with his granddaughter, who helps him keep a list in which he writes in two columns those who have passed away and those who are still alive. This story won't make you think too much, but it will leave you in doubt: is Carlos even alive after all?
One of the things that scares me the most about getting old is losing my memories, and I know that when that happens, I'll have the same doubts as Carlos: am I still here, or is there life after death and is all of this just my imagination?