Ways of Going Home

It is very hard to describe Alejandro Zambra's debut novel, Ways of Going Home, in a way that does the writing style justice.  This short novel is a very good read, but it might take the reader some time to get used to the writing style.

We have two "stories" going on throughout this work.  The first is about a divorced writer, living in Chile, who is struggling to come up with something worth writing about for his next novel.  Inspiration strikes, but his relationship with his ex-wife is changing and he is not sure what to make of the change.  The second story is the one our narrator is writing.  It focuses on a nine year old boy who meets a twelve year old girl in the aftermath of an earthquake.  They strike up a unique friendship until she asks him to do her a big favor.

So, we have a story of a young boy (who we also see as a young man later on) which is actually the story our author friend is writing.  Confused yet?  It isn't nearly as confusing as it sounds.  Actually, it makes for an interesting literary device.  If you are looking for something different that is a quick read, pick this one up.