3 new books in translation blend liberation with darkness
The Enlightenment of Katzuo Nakamatsu, The House on Via Gemito, and Cousins together form a tour of human darkness where liberation comes in many forms.
Many novels end in liberation of one sort or another. It is a reliable way to offer catharsis, to give readers the feeling of escape while writing a book that is not escapist as such.
Blending liberation with darkness is, then, nothing new — but three new novels in translation take the mix as far as it can go.
In Augusto Higa Oshiro's slim, dizzying , translated by Jennifer Shyue, death looms over every page; in Domenico Starnone's sprawling , translated by Oonagh Stransky, emotional freedom requires an arduous battle through awful memories; and in Aurora Venturini's hair-raising , translated by Kit Maude, nearly everything seems like a sick joke. Yet is the most triumphant by far
