Number 92 - Birthday - Cesar Aira

 

I picked this up very randomly in Waterstones on Sunday.  Basically because it was very thin.  The description said it was about a guy who just past his 50th birthday and a chance conversation made him reevaluate his life.

This did resonate with me a little since I turned 26 and a bit quite recently myself.  It feels dishonest if the bit is more than half the total...

I'm not sure this classes as a novel or even a novella.  It's more like a 80 something page essay.  There's no real story, just a geezer ruminating on the fact that he's not young any more.  He tells us his thoughts about a host of the big subjects in life.  He makes a few good points.  He waffles on about some tripe as well.  

He talks about his plan as a novelist and how he's not convinced he's done enough.  He's refreshingly honest in his self assessment, but not seeringly honest. I can't say I came away from this book with any real impression of the writer as anything other than a slightly self obsessed bore. 

It kills a couple of hours. There are a few nice observations. It's generally quite readable. I can't really praise it much more than that.