I’m convinced that NYRB books don’t miss. I’ve read a handful of them, mostly picked up based on a quick read of the back or a strong cover design, and each one has made a lasting impression. Adolfo Bioy Casares’ 1940 novel The Invention of Morel was on the ‘Staff Recommends’ shelf at a recent visit to Queen Books, and it’s another winner.

I didn’t know anything about the author or book, and it’s a fantastic way to go in. The book is short (103 pages, including a handful of lovely full-page illustrations), but it’s perfect. Don’t take my word for it, either.

It’s the diary of a fugitive on a desert island, who begins writing when a group of tourists arrive. He hides from them for a while, becomes obsessed with a woman named Faustine, and eventually becomes emboldened enough to try to speak with her.

She doesn’t register his presence, and neither do the others. Is he dead, a ghost? Are they deliberately ignoring him? Other strange things start happening too. Two suns in the sky. Guests swimming in the pool when the weather is inclement. What is going on?

Not gonna tell you any more than that. The book is a quick and easy read. The themes are surprisingly current, and ahead of their time. I was shocked to see the publication date after finishing it, as it reads like something published 15 or 25 years later. It would be interesting to trace the influence of this on English science fiction writers, or filmmakers like Hitchcock or Shyamalan.

There’s a lot to think about after reading this, which is a testament to Casares’ writing — it never feels like a setup for Big Ideas, they creep slowly into the narrative, which makes them more effective.

NYRB published a reading group guide to go with it, and I found a couple of things of value in it that I hadn’t noticed about the book (ie. the repeated paragraph). If you dig the book check this out too.

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