Comments on: “2666 – The Part About Amalfitano” Thoughts and Wrap-Up of Part Two

By: Steph

Steph — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:15:09 +0000

@ Claire: I’m really glad we’re doing a read-along too! Even parts that I don’t necessarily enjoy I find really interesting when I read others’ thoughts on them. I definitely think I’m getting far more out of this book than I would have if I were reading it on my own! I am torn, I suppose because while I didn’t enjoy this part very much and therefore found the brevity a boon, I wonder if I might have liked it more if it had been a bit longer so Bolaño could have developed the story more.

@ Lu: Glad you’re enjoying this so much. Your enthusiasm is really infectious, and I really enjoyed reading your insights into this part. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Part 3!

By: Lu

Lu — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:41:32 +0000

I finally got my post up! Thanks for hosting, I’m loving this Parts that completely confused me seem to be people’s favorites and parts I found completely engaging were less interesting for others. I go into complete book-nerd smiles about this whole thing, because it’s so much fun!

By: 2666 Readalong: Part II – The Part About Amalfitano « Regular Rumination

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:37:12 +0000

[...] Steph @ Steph & Tony Investigate!: [...]

By: claire

claire — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:58:13 +0000

Steph.. I totally get what you mean about this being even less of a stand-alone piece than the first, because there is no evident plot, but then I kind of expected it. I totally expected this part to be completely separate from the first, definitely not “a natural extension” or “progression” and that expectation may have paid off, because I didn’t mind that the only connection between the first and this was the Santa Teresa murders. I do think, though, that the themes are recurring. Like EL Fay said, art and madness. Also, the violence. Your point about pursuit. So many things bring the whole thing together, even if plotwise they don’t.

This is very interesting, how we can read the same thing and get (or not get) so many different things from it. I’m actually very glad we’re all reading along, as I would be lost on my own.

By: Steph

Steph — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:36:10 +0000

@ Emily: I wonder if I need to re-read this section before progressing with Part Three, as so many people felt it did propel us further into the emotional narrative (if not plotwise)? I think I got too bogged down in Amalfitano’s philosophical ramblings, and wasn’t able to focus on the action (internal and external). I think it definitely makes sense to heighten the tension by giving us the perspective of a local, but I really must confess I didn’t feel it at all!
Also, I liked the geometry book being hung outside, I just didn’t really understand what it meant. But I liked the quirkiness about it, and must admit I found it an oddly romantic gesture (especially when the reference is discussed, with it first being recommended to a married couple… don’t think our condo would approve of me hanging one out on the balcony though! ).

@ EL Fay: I think that whatever faults I felt Part One had, I did appreciate that it seemed to focus on interpersonal drama/relationships. Part Two seemed to have this with regards to Lola’s story, but the latter half really lost me, because I just couldn’t get a grip on what was going on. I get that Amalfitano might be losing his grip and is intensely paranoid, but I guess I couldn’t figure out what made him tick other than fear for his daughter. I found this part more alienating, I suppose.
But you are right to draw the parallel between Lola’s poet and the painter from Part 1 – I did at one point wonder when he was first mentioned if they might be the same man. So at first I did pick up on that possible symmetry, but didn’t go much further with it. Still, I think you’re right that Bolaño might be developing a deep relationship between art and madness…

By: EL Fay

EL Fay — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:59:29 +0000

I loved Part 2! Part 1 dealt mostly with the relationships between the critics, whereas Part 2, I felt, had so much more going on.

You said you didn’t feel that Part 2 had much to do with Part 1 – personally, I felt that there was a strong parallel between Lola’s mad poet and the painter who cut off his hand in Part 1. I discussed it in my summary. Basically, I think Bolano is building on the theme, which he began in Part 1, of art and madness being inextricably linked.

By: Emiy

Emiy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:47:53 +0000

I agree that this section doesn’t stand on its own as well as the first one, but I loved it as part of the whole. For me, it very effectively tightened the dramatic tension, and darkened the mood, focusing in on the “something wrong” that the critics perceived in Santa Teresa during the first part. For me, that was the crucial link between the two parts: what the critics observed in the role, basically, of tourists, Amalfitano grapples with on a daily basis in his own town and his own head. Since we seem to be focusing toward “the crimes” of Book 4, the progression made sense to me.

It’s funny, the geometry book part was maybe my favorite part of the whole novel up to this point! I found it darkly hilarious, as well as pointing up the tension around Amalfitano losing his grip. But I likes ‘em weird. I’m enjoying reading everyone else’s thoughts, too!

By: Steph

Steph — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:43:23 +0000

@ Gavin: I like the way you put it of “shifting gears” between Part One & Two… I think I was really surprised with how approachable Part One was, so was expecting more of the same from this part… but I found it far more obtuse and like there was somehow less of a narrative there. Maybe? I think all of the things you picked up on (the line between madness and sanity, the impending threat) are all really astute, and even though I didn’t think of those things when reading, considering these elements has definitely helped flesh out my opinions/ideas on this section.

@ Richard: Thanks for pointing out the Lola/Rosa mistake in my review – I did indeed mean Lola! I am with you that Bolaño may not have intended for a natural progression between the two parts, but I suppose I still have problems trying to appreciate this part on its own. That is, if I had bought this part as it’s own individual volume (as Bolaño wished), I would have been seriously peeved, because I just didn’t take anything away from it. I found the Lola storyline more interesting, more human, I suppose, and yet, I wanted more, because I didn’t understand her motivations or what she was meant to represent. I feel Bolaño’s characters are too sketchy and ill-drawn in this section for me to understand their struggles.
But, I appreciate your thoughts on this part, even if they were so dramatically different from my own! I agree that it’s great to compare and consider everyone’s different reactions, because it really is making for a much richer reading experience than it would have been if I were reading alone!

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:52:34 +0000

Steph,

I liked part two quite a bit more than you did, but that doesn’t mean I could explain everything that was going on at this point either! (I think you might have confused the names of Amalfitano’s ex-wife and daughter above, though.) I saw the geometry textbook as a symbol of the conflict between rationality or reason and chance or destiny…but given Amalfitano’s mental state, it could just as well speak to the divide between order and chaos. I’m not sure that Bolaño meant books 1 and 2 to provide a natural progression; certain things fit together thematically and in terms of the characters involved, but my guess is that Bolaño was aiming either for a series of parallel narratives or a diptych style of storytelling that will intersect at some point in time. I like the open-ended aspect of the approach myself, but I understand the distress of people accustomed to more traditional plot development. In any event, thanks for another interesting review: it continues to be fun to see how everybody’s reacting to the same material!

By: Gavin

Gavin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:49:13 +0000

Steph – I found Part One and Part Two to be very different and I really had to shift gears to get a sense of Part Two. My thoughts turn to the fine edge Amalfitano is walking between sanity and madness and that, even though Part One was dark and violent in places, Part Two seems even more threatening.

I have no idea have this will all come together but I am really enjoying sharing thoughts with everyone reading the book! Thank you.