Memories of My Melancholy Whores

February 24, 2014
In Marquez’s novel, on his 19th birthday, a single man living alone in a decrepit mansion decides he wants to fornicate with a young girl. He solicits the help of the madam of the city’s best brothel, who procures for him the perfect subject, a 14-year-old who works in a factory stitching buttons. However instead of having sex with her, the narrator simply watches her sleep—and continues to do so. This action, oft-repeated, unlocks new feelings for the narrator who discovers “the improbable pleasure of contemplating the body of a sleeping woman without the urgencies of desire or the obstacles of modesty.” Rivera’s voice is thick and smoky and he performs the book as if he were whispering to an intimate. And Rivera captures the narrator’s humor, his coyness, and his playfulness, while also proving himself exceptional at creating voices, from the madam to the drunken denizens on the street. A Vintage paperback.