'Little Eyes' puts the Argentinian surrealist alongside writers — Shirley Jackson, Toni Morrison — whose horrors expose the rotten parts of ourselves.
” tracks the rise of robotic stuffed animals that are bought and cared for by “keepers” and controlled remotely by “dwellers.” When the animals — or “kentukis” — are turned on, each is connected to a single person somewhere in the world who has purchased a serial code in exchange for receiving a literal lens into its keeper’s life. The connection can be broken in a number of ways, but the severance is irreversible.
In Umbertide, Italy, Enzo becomes the keeper of a mole with whom he believes he shares a friendship, until he realizes the dweller has developed an unhealthy obsession with his son. In Oaxaca, Alina acquires a crow as an amusing diversion while accompanying her artist boyfriend to a residency, but she grows to resent the pet and inflicts various types of harm upon its furry body.
In “Little Eyes,” Schweblin proves herself a master at conjuring portraits in miniature, each storyline illuminating some new aspect of the human ability to extract meaning and debasement from technology. Like pets, Schweblin’s robots become vessels for psychological projection — monsters filled with adoration, anxiety, disgust, malice and devotion.
The Argentinian novelist’s last two books, along with “Little Eyes,” all translated by Megan McDowell, have been longlisted for the International Man Booker Prize and translated into dozens of languages. “Fever Dream,” a novella constructed around a conversation between a dying woman and a boy, is a contemporary ghost tale whose two voices volley back and forth the story of their demise.
“Little Eyes” operates on the tension created by dread, situating Schweblin within a canon of writers whose rendering of horror ultimately exposes the gorgeous, rotten and wounded parts of ourselves. Animals with whom humans have creepy relationships are a reoccurring theme in Schweblin’s work, as are questions about the systems and powers that shape the world — corporate agriculture, technology, wealth.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
“Little Eyes” is a cautionary tale of technology and privacy“Little Eyes” is the second novel by Samanta Schweblin to be translated into English, and her second to be nominated for the International Booker prize
Read more »
My Summer Outfit Mood Board Now Revolves Around Kiara From Outer BanksWe love Kiara's beachy outfits on OuterBanks so much, we tracked down exactly where to buy her clothes. 👙🌊
Read more »
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's cute birthday plans for son Archie unveiledPrince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, have some rather cute plans in place for little Archie Mountbatten-Windsor
Read more »
More Glowing Dolphins, Bioluminescence Algae Makes Its Way InlandThe bioluminescence technology of the deep blue sea is closer to shore than ever.
Read more »