Week 11: Distant Star
by kenwardt
This week I chose to dive into “Distant Star” by Roberto Bolaño. I enjoyed this week’s reading as it felt like I was reading some sort of mystery crime novel filled with thrilling scenes. As we’ve all realized throughout the weeks, names have importance, and at first glance I thought the novel would be in a similar realm to “The Hour of The Star” by Clarice Lispector. Sure there was violence in both nooks, but nothing to the extreme of the Distant Star.
I then thought about what the title of the book meant. Since in “The Hour of the Star” we questioned what the title’s literal meaning was, and if Macabéa had her hour of the star moment. In “Distant Star” the narrator remains unnamed and I think the “star” refers to Carlos Weider, the poet and killer to whom the narrator is obsessed with. Although the star is distant, it still is important, and its light still shines and affects the world its in.
Although “Distant Star” was a much easier read for me as compared to some previous books in the course, it still tackled complex themes and problems occuring at the time. It explored the political and cultural climate of the Pinochet regime in Chile, with a focus on how art and literature can be used to fight against oppression.
The structure of the novel wasn’t the easiest to follow in terms of time, since it did jump back and forth between the past and present similar to “100 Years of Solitude,” but I did appreciate the different characters we were able to meet even if they were shortlived and involved in violent murders. One that stuck out to me was the photo of a severed finger just laying on the grey cement (p.89).
After reading the lecture transcript (It’s whisky this week Jon) I too was not satisfied with the ending, like the narrator. Although it allowed for an ambigous ending which is popular to some readers, I found it leaving me wanting more of a definitive ending in reagard to the narrator. I liked the way Jon put it, as “brushing history against the grain will always leave some sense of discomfort, as we realize our inevitable complicity in its ongoing violence” (p.10). Powerful stuff Jon.
My question to you all is: did you enjoy how the story wasn’t exactly linear, but had a narrative structure that jumped between time? (Bonus question: did you find the ending of the novel to be to your liking?)
You’re right, there’s quite a bit of mystery crime novel in this week’s reading. You got me thinking about the lack of satisfaction you felt at the end of the book. That feeling is present even during the story that is being told, but above all because of the way in which we find out the facts. A mystery novel is born with the promise of finding the truth, be it revealed. Here a resistance persists, to the mere possibility that the truth of the facts can be reconstructed. Who to believe?
“It’s whisky this week Jon”
Haha, you’re ahead of the game!
And I like your thoughts on the title… I also tend to think that the “star” is Wieder, who is “distant” and “cold” but also bright and alluring. We may talk more about this in class…
Hi! I think I enjoyed the non-linear structure of the book this week. I think it allowed for a deeper understanding of Carlos Wiener as we kept getting more and more information about him and his habits from characters in the past such as Marta when she talks about his empty flat. Although sometimes I do think it is hard to follow I think it keeps you intrigued and allows you to solve a bit of the mystery for yourself.
Hello! I definetly enjoyed the style of writing that was used in this book. Even though I do find it difficult to follow at times, I feel like that is something Ive gotten better at through the readings in the class. I think in the end, the small portions that seemed ‘out of context’, come to place to add to the overall story in the end. Each of these small stories (such as that of lorenzo), add to the story.
Thanks for the interesting blog post! I especially found it cool how you managed to connect Distant Star’s writing style with One Hundred Years of solitude. I agree with you that the time jumps made the novel easier to read and more enjoyable, though I am somewhat biased because I also liked One Hundred Years of Solitude 😉
Hi Kenward! I liked how you connected the title of the novella to the actual story. I also agree that Distant Star is probably in reference to Wieder and how the narrator’s life starts to revolve around this distant figure who was once in their life. Wieder is the star of the story, even though he isn’t even physically present for the majority of it. I enjoyed how the story jumped around. It kept the narrative interesting and engaging.
Hi!
Thanks so much for an insightful blog post. I think you bring up a great point when you discuss the ambiguity of the ending. I too was having the feeling of “wanting more”, but I agree that there was a clear purpose in the ambiguous style of writing. To answer your question, I actually did enjoy the non-linear style of writing! I am getting much more used to this style of book through this class. It keeps me entertained and keeps me intrigued for what may happen next!
Hello! I really enjoyed reading your blog post this week – your writing is very engaging. When first reading the title of this book, I also thought the novel would be similar to “The Hour of The Star” by Clarice Lispector, and shortly figured out the two books were not in the same realm. I enjoyed that the book was in a non-linear format, and I surprisingly liked the ending. Sometimes through ambiguity, imagination can create a satisfying resolve.