Chile

Chile provided me with quite a few good options for this global reading project but when I opened the first page of this book I could tell that the prose would suit the way I read. It was clear, well written and I knew I would enjoy reading the book, so I chose The Private Lives of Trees by Alejandro Zambra, translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell and published by Open Letter, the University of Rochester's press.

This novel is short, ruminative, focused on the protagonist, Julian's, relationships with his wife, his step-daughter, her father, his ex-girlfriend, it is domestic but not navel-gazing. It could have been depressing but I found it more sweet than sad.