What are you reading?

[Istvan]

I recently picked up an old paperback copy of The Dissertation by R.M. Koster in a Little Free Library. This book is an exuberant epic from the 70s about a fictional Central American dictatorship called Tinieblas, and is a satire on everything from politics to magical realism. Equal parts Vonnegut and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the book tells the story of one of Tinieblas's late dictators, Leon Fuertes, in the form of a writing project by his not particularly reliable son Camilo. I've been having fits of the giggles reading the vast historical saga of poor little Tinieblas as well as Camilo's copious endnotes concerning his neuroses and failing marriage. Camilo has to defend the integrity of his work against critics who point out that much of his "research" consists of séances to summon his forebears, and is interrupted throughout his labors by civil unrest in Tinieblas caused by a crusading priest. Koster juggles all the storylines with admirable skill and terrific wit.