The Third Reich

The title of the “lost” Roberto Bolaño novel, now being serialized by the Paris Review (starting with the Spring 2011 issue). I ripped through first two available installments in one or two nights a few weeks ago. I have a copy of 2666 on the shelf that I need to crack open, but aside from that, I haven’t read any of his other work.

That said, if the The Third Reich is any indication of Bolaño style, I see a similarity between both he and Haruki Murakami, especially in some of Murakami’s less surreal work like South of the Border, West of the Sun or Sputnik Sweetheart. Bolaño’s translated prose comes across as a little more complex than Murakami’s (not saying there isn’t a depth to Murakami’s work), but the mysterious plot developments and focus on the banalities of everyday life (what the characters are eating, wearing, etc.) are similar.

Here’s hoping the final two installments hold up.