Ghosts, the just-released-in-translation novel by Cesar Aira, is (like his earlier books How I Became a Nun and An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter) one of the most uniquely, genuinely odd books you’re likely to stumble across. No one (to my knowledge) is doing anything quite like what Aira does in his fiction. Short books that nevertheless derail themselves, meander, drift, and stretch out while all the while remaining fascinating.
Attempting to summarize Ghosts is futile. It is set in an unfinished luxury apartment building, There are digressions on the symbolism of human self-organization, on hairstyles in Latin America, on class divisions. There are fireworks and curious children. There are ghosts.
I wholeheartedly recommend Cesar Aira. My favorite of his translated novels is An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter (I haven’t read The Hare), but any of his books are sure to be worthy (and short!) diversions.
Tags: Cesar Aira, Ghosts