Hopscotch

You know you may not be immediately attracted to a book when it states, "you can read the book in a linear fashion or skip around in the following manner"… really?  So in a few short sentences, I did not like this book at all. Oops, it is Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar, a world renowned South American author.  So my RA Alum friend Milan asks, “tell me why?” … where should I begin.  The characters were not at all interesting, the plot boring, and the clearly 1960s “group sex club” mentality that occurred at “the Club” was more than I could get through, and yes, like all of the RA favorites, I did finish it, though I counted the pages throughout.   Horacio Oliveira is the main character who leaves Argentina for Paris and joins a group of others called the Serpent Club.  The group of friends spends time in “the club” drinking, partying, reading literature, and philosophizing while listening to jazz music in the background.  What a way to spend your nights, not so nice for the neighbor upstairs who goes crazy ranting and raving at them on a regular basis – sounds like NYC not liking some of the NYU clan.  Horatio is in love with “La Maga” whose real name is Lucia.  Horacio moves in to the house with her as her “sexmate” but Lucia isn’t the brightest “bulb in Club pack.”  Lucia’s son, often sick, actually dies (Horacio notices it after an illness he has) and this then destroys the “club” with Horacio leaving and finding solace, while drunk, with a homeless woman at the waterfront.  Horacio gets arrested and this leads to the second part of the book when Horacio travels back to his homeland in Argentina.   Horacio thinks he sees Lucia, but instead it is another woman, Talita.  All of his native friends think he has gone mad and is contemplating suicide, which after philosophizing and strange behavior the readers are left with did he or didn’t he?  I guess I wish I had more feeling for Horacio.  This is a strange book with characters who really didn’t appeal to me, I didn’t get sympathetic nor more interested in the philosophical Horacio, the well read, yet lazy thinker.  In many ways reminded me of Hemingway’s one book where they all went hunting.  There are so many levels of “stuff” within this book, but all convoluted and boring.  If you can make it through this one, congrats!  Maybe because I wouldn’t be interested in hanging in the club, I was so put-off by the whole tale.  I know Cortazar has a following, I’d stick to his short stories, which are much more interesting.  Skip it for sure!