I Don’t Expect Anyone To Believe Me

I loved this novel (a recommendation of D's) from beginning to end. It is both clever and funny; a piece of modern fiction (shifting narrative, self-conscious meta-analysis etc.) and an insight into corruption in Mexico. Humour is used at multiple levels (from laugh-out-loud to very black) to help mediate the violence inherent in Mexican mafia practices. Much of the action takes place in Barcelona, a city that lends itself so well to much literature. The reader's interest in I Don't Expect Anyone to Believe Me is sustained in two main ways. First, the story is told from four perspectives and the introduction of the narrator's mother (via email) and his cousin (by letters, received posthumously) are both genius devices. Second, translator Daniel Hahn — rarely credited on the front cover — does a superlative translation, making the different voices stand out and capturing the argot of Mexico, Argentina and more. The ending of the work also surprised in a good way and was left deliberately ambiguous. Keen to read more Villalobos. 9½/10 (pushing 10/10 on reflection).

By Juan Pablo Villalobos