The Invention of Morel

A character who could be straight out of Borges's "Universal History of Iniquities" takes refuge from the law on a deserted tropical island where he witnesses some pretty strange stuff (I'm trying to be vague here). What seems to begin as the story of a man's slow descent into paranoia turns into what seems like a ghost story before eventually becoming something entirely different - something that could have sprung from the mind of Gene Wolfe or Philip K. Dick on a good day.

The cover picture and the blurb on the back indicate that Louise Brooks had something to do with it all....And so, knowing this, I brought what I knew of LB to my reading of 'The Invention of Morel'. As a result, I don't find fault with the character development (as other reviews here do) - why should I? This tale is about the elusive nature of beauty, the mystery of cinema, the hard to pin down quality of a great silent movie actress. To imagine what the narrator experiences - the coming to life of someone who's charisma and beauty resembles that of Louise Brooks - against the backdrop of a strange island, the eerie repetitious jazz music on the phonograph, the at once lush and deadened landscape - is descriptive enough. The narrator never knows the characters - Half-crazed, he doesn't even know himself! This is an absolutely brilliant, highly atmospheric tale.

Bioy's masterpiece really is a wonderful "unknown masterpiece" (albeit unknown only in the USA) reissued by the NYRB editors. Inspired by Bioy's obsession with the silent movie actress Louise Brooks, THE INVENTION OF MOREL is a tour de force and exceptionally prescient study of the nature of reality and how it is impinged upon by the virtual realities engendered by time, fantasy, and love. And it is genuinely heartbreaking.

Primero y principal, aquellas personas que se encuentren interesadas en este libro deben saber que fue escrito en 1940. Desde esa perspectiva podemos darnos cuenta que la trama describe claramente lo que hoy en día se conoce como realidad virtual. Este aspecto ya resulta fascinante, pero eso no es todo. Bioy Casares se propuso escribir una novela que conservara el ritmo y llamara el interés del lector. En este punto es comparable con muchos buenos libros policiales de la época. Para lograr este resultado sostuvo una serie de entrevistas con Jorge Luis Borges, quien lo asesoró en diversos aspectos del desarrollo (además escribió el prologo que acompañó al libro en numerosas ediciones). Por otro lado el libro también trata de una fuga y de la soledad que debe soportar un hombre, quien siendo libre se encuentra aún más atrapado que dentro de una carcel. Esta paradoja hace de este libro uno de los mejores ejemplo de una novela de ficción que se hayan producido en Argentina. El desenlace es tan inesperado como original y la prosa empleada es tan maravillosa que el libro se desarrolla como una película dentro de la mente del lector. Se trata de uno de esos libros que desearíamos volver a leer, por su excelente construcción y su calidad única. Altamente recomendable.

Bioy Casares tackled what few other Latin-American authors have: sci-fi. But this is not you average ray-gun-set-for- stun story. By keeping all the sci-fi on the background and concentrating on the story, Casares weaved a delightful and sometimes heart-aching plot. Our protagonist escapes the Mafia only to be stranded on an island where everything is not what it seems, if it is there at all! Certain to keep you on the edge of your seat, this novel could be read in one sitting, and most probably you will.