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Las mutaciones
A modern-day Flaubert takes us on a comic tour through a deeply neurotic Mexico City
Ramón Martinez is a militant atheist, successful lawyer, and conventional family man. But all of that changes when his privileged life disintegrates after cancer of the tongue deprives him of the source of his power and livelihood: speech.
Jorge Comensal's The Mutations is a comedy tracing the metastasis of Ramón's cancer through his body and through the lives of his family members, colleagues, and doctors, dissecting the experience of illness and mapping the relationships both strengthened and frayed in its wake. Mateo and Paulina, his teenage children, struggle with the temptations of masturbation and binge-eating, respectively. Ramón's melancholic oncologist is haunted by the memory of a young patient whom he was unable to save. His selfish pathologist believes Ramón's tumor holds the key to a major scientific breakthrough. And then Elodia, Ramón's pious maid, brings him a foul-mouthed parrot as a birthday gift, and this filthy bird becomes Ramón's companion, confidant, and unlikely double.
Paying homage to forebears such as Sontag, Didion, Flaubert, and Tolstoy, and filled with a rough-hewn poetry of regret, rage, and, finally, resignation, The Mutations offers up a profound and funny cross section of modern Mexico, as well as a bold treatment of an unspeakable yet universal reality.
Ramón Martinez is a militant atheist, successful lawyer, and conventional family man. But all of that changes when his privileged life disintegrates after cancer of the tongue deprives him of the source of his power and livelihood: speech.
Jorge Comensal's The Mutations is a comedy tracing the metastasis of Ramón's cancer through his body and through the lives of his family members, colleagues, and doctors, dissecting the experience of illness and mapping the relationships both strengthened and frayed in its wake. Mateo and Paulina, his teenage children, struggle with the temptations of masturbation and binge-eating, respectively. Ramón's melancholic oncologist is haunted by the memory of a young patient whom he was unable to save. His selfish pathologist believes Ramón's tumor holds the key to a major scientific breakthrough. And then Elodia, Ramón's pious maid, brings him a foul-mouthed parrot as a birthday gift, and this filthy bird becomes Ramón's companion, confidant, and unlikely double.
Paying homage to forebears such as Sontag, Didion, Flaubert, and Tolstoy, and filled with a rough-hewn poetry of regret, rage, and, finally, resignation, The Mutations offers up a profound and funny cross section of modern Mexico, as well as a bold treatment of an unspeakable yet universal reality.
208 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2016
About the author
Jorge Comensal
9 books37 followersJorge Comensal estudió Lengua y Literaturas Hispánicas en la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.1 Fue becario de la Fundación para las Letras Mexicanas.
En 2016, publicó su primera novela, Las Mutaciones con la editorial Antílope. El libro aborda con humor el tema del cáncer, enfermedad que el autor ha vivido de cerca debido a varios casos en su familia.
En su elaboración, Comensal consultó libros y artículos sobre medicina, genética, evolución, oncología y otros temas para documentar los aspectos científicos de la enfermedad tratados en la novela.
Por ello, en esta narración pueden encontrarse diversos registros conviviendo en un lenguaje desgranado con belleza.
El libro fue publicado en España tres años después a través de la editorial Seix Barral.
En 2017, Comensal publicó el ensayo Yonquis de las letras.
En 2022 se publica Este vacío que hierve, su segunda novela.
En 2016, publicó su primera novela, Las Mutaciones con la editorial Antílope. El libro aborda con humor el tema del cáncer, enfermedad que el autor ha vivido de cerca debido a varios casos en su familia.
En su elaboración, Comensal consultó libros y artículos sobre medicina, genética, evolución, oncología y otros temas para documentar los aspectos científicos de la enfermedad tratados en la novela.
Por ello, en esta narración pueden encontrarse diversos registros conviviendo en un lenguaje desgranado con belleza.
El libro fue publicado en España tres años después a través de la editorial Seix Barral.
En 2017, Comensal publicó el ensayo Yonquis de las letras.
En 2022 se publica Este vacío que hierve, su segunda novela.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
February 2, 2020
Finally Teresa was experiencing...one of those unlikely moments that saved her life from absurdity.
This is a hard novel to pay attention to, to the level it demands to be paid attention to, and yet it rewards your attention absolutely. On a sentence level it's beautiful. On a story level it's fragmentary, snatching you away again and again from a story line you want to stay in and leaping away into another scene, other characters. Thematically it tackles a fundamental question in life: how a person faces death, and makes sense of his/her own mortality. It's a brave book because Comensal never allows the least bit of romanticization, or faith in the world to come, or any other thing to distract the reader from the fragmentary, absurd way we humans go about dying. A tough, rewarding read.
This is a hard novel to pay attention to, to the level it demands to be paid attention to, and yet it rewards your attention absolutely. On a sentence level it's beautiful. On a story level it's fragmentary, snatching you away again and again from a story line you want to stay in and leaping away into another scene, other characters. Thematically it tackles a fundamental question in life: how a person faces death, and makes sense of his/her own mortality. It's a brave book because Comensal never allows the least bit of romanticization, or faith in the world to come, or any other thing to distract the reader from the fragmentary, absurd way we humans go about dying. A tough, rewarding read.
August 1, 2019
This is a really dense book that is packed with lots of topics that are difficult to face and some theoretical concepts. It is a more cerebral read that is a bit confusing at times, but really good once you get the big picture. After reading it, I had a lot to think about and to say. There is a full review on my blog: thebroll7.wordpress.com
The Mutations centers around a few characters, all with the common thread of cancer. An oncologist trying to make sense of his career in an aging field, a psychoanalyst struggling with her own image after cancer in a modern world, and a lawyer who has just learned he has cancer and is forced to become mute and still live in a society and culture that values voice and self. Amongst these three main players, there are several other supporting characters that help flesh out the story and add to the overall narrative of events. Ramón, a successful lawyer in Mexico City is the pivotal character in which all others revolve around. He is diagnosed with tongue cancer and must undergo a complete glossectomy, ultimately losing his source of power in his career, his family, and his culture. Ramón is completely emasculated symbolically and doesn't know how to navigate his life further. It is through his cancer that he meets Dr. Aldama who can't seem to get over a past patient that couldn't be saved and deals with the transitions of oncology and research in the field. Later, after Ramón can't seem to cope, he turns to a psychoanalyst, Teresa de la Vega who specializes in patients with or who have had cancer. Their relationship isn't one that works for either party, but Teresa still seeks to make Ramón more comfortable in his final weeks by using her home-grown marijuana (which she uses to make cookies). The book moves through Ramón's sickness and health while making light of the ways that cancer and sickness can branch out and affect so many.
This book is labeled as a comedy, but at first glance or read, it may seem like cancer isn't a laughing matter. In general, this sort of comedy probably isn't created to make you laugh --although there are plenty of laughable parts. Rather, it is made to serve as a satire that pits two parties against each other in a way that could induce laughter but more so, highlights those two elements where the story isn't a tragedy. This story is so complex but there is never a true downfall of a character or catastrophic turn. It should be said though that the bird, the marital issues and bickering, the son and his masturbation addiction, the psychoanalyst and her self issues, Ramón's frequent inner dialogue, and Elodia's (the housekeeper) constant religious fervor all serve as comic reliefs in a story that would otherwise be utterly heartbreaking. In fact, those smaller facets of this story help move it along and place it within the comedy genre.
While this is a story of a man's life after he is diagnosed with cancer and later learns that he will die because it has metastasized too much, it also is a sort of mimicry of real-life and how things are never a neat and organized as we wish they were. On the other hand, there is no true agenda for anyone's life and anything can and will happen whenever it does. In the end, we all die and chaos will control what it will. This book was interesting for me because I wasn't sad, per se after I read this book but more surprised. Something about this book shook some ideas that I had been harboring about lifespans and cycles and made me reconsider what it all means.
I feel as though this book isn't meant to be a sad story about a man with cancer, but more of an examination of the ways that culture (Mexican Machismo), society (Mexico City well-to-do sector), gender (Masculine male), identity (father, boss, successful lawyer) all play into our lives and how unsubstantial those things all really are when stripped away. In the end, we are all just human trying to live a life while we can and have a happy ending. Ramón seems to understand this as he loses all of these titles and begins to recognize it further as he begins to obsess over his final plans, what his wife will do afterward, his legacy for his children, and not having to pay back his brother. He turns from caring about himself and his cancer and moves towards focusing on the things that he finds to truely matter, the world after he dies. That realization, on his part, is what makes this such a powerful novel for me.
In this book, cancer becomes a metaphor, just as the body does. Cancer is described as being a random chance in the body where one's cells are influenced to grow differently than they should. In essence, you are your cancer and your cancer is you. It all becomes a metaphor for one another, as well as relationships. If we think of ourselves as a singular cell, we have the opportunity to affect so many other cells and branch out leaving a mark on others. We can create entire networks of bodies that are influenced by just one. Ramón, though his cancer shows how this network can be shaped, adjusted, and added to by chance or by need, just as cancer will move and grow by chance or when it needs.
I feel like I wrote an entire essay on this book, but honestly, there are so many other issues and ideas that can be drawn out from this book and discussed at length. This is the sort of book that I would have loved to read in a Medical Anthropology course because there is so much that is applicable. The book itself is rich with theoretical perspectives and ideas about the other and how disease and dis-ease can be metaphors when dealing with sickness, health, and the body. This book is so dense but so small and has a lot to say. I especially love that this was written by a Mexican author and works to discuss not only the Mexican culture but also the idea of Machismo in Mexican society and how men are expected to act within and outside of the family unit.
This book isn't one that you read in one sitting because it is very dense and there is just a lot to unpack. Other than being dense, I would definitely recommend this to someone who is looking for something that is a bit more cerebral and requires some opening up to theoretical ideas and concepts. I had to read it slowly and I probably didn't read more than 3 or 4 chapters a day, at the max. Overall, I am so glad I was sent an ARC of this one and that I stuck through until the end.
The Mutations centers around a few characters, all with the common thread of cancer. An oncologist trying to make sense of his career in an aging field, a psychoanalyst struggling with her own image after cancer in a modern world, and a lawyer who has just learned he has cancer and is forced to become mute and still live in a society and culture that values voice and self. Amongst these three main players, there are several other supporting characters that help flesh out the story and add to the overall narrative of events. Ramón, a successful lawyer in Mexico City is the pivotal character in which all others revolve around. He is diagnosed with tongue cancer and must undergo a complete glossectomy, ultimately losing his source of power in his career, his family, and his culture. Ramón is completely emasculated symbolically and doesn't know how to navigate his life further. It is through his cancer that he meets Dr. Aldama who can't seem to get over a past patient that couldn't be saved and deals with the transitions of oncology and research in the field. Later, after Ramón can't seem to cope, he turns to a psychoanalyst, Teresa de la Vega who specializes in patients with or who have had cancer. Their relationship isn't one that works for either party, but Teresa still seeks to make Ramón more comfortable in his final weeks by using her home-grown marijuana (which she uses to make cookies). The book moves through Ramón's sickness and health while making light of the ways that cancer and sickness can branch out and affect so many.
This book is labeled as a comedy, but at first glance or read, it may seem like cancer isn't a laughing matter. In general, this sort of comedy probably isn't created to make you laugh --although there are plenty of laughable parts. Rather, it is made to serve as a satire that pits two parties against each other in a way that could induce laughter but more so, highlights those two elements where the story isn't a tragedy. This story is so complex but there is never a true downfall of a character or catastrophic turn. It should be said though that the bird, the marital issues and bickering, the son and his masturbation addiction, the psychoanalyst and her self issues, Ramón's frequent inner dialogue, and Elodia's (the housekeeper) constant religious fervor all serve as comic reliefs in a story that would otherwise be utterly heartbreaking. In fact, those smaller facets of this story help move it along and place it within the comedy genre.
While this is a story of a man's life after he is diagnosed with cancer and later learns that he will die because it has metastasized too much, it also is a sort of mimicry of real-life and how things are never a neat and organized as we wish they were. On the other hand, there is no true agenda for anyone's life and anything can and will happen whenever it does. In the end, we all die and chaos will control what it will. This book was interesting for me because I wasn't sad, per se after I read this book but more surprised. Something about this book shook some ideas that I had been harboring about lifespans and cycles and made me reconsider what it all means.
I feel as though this book isn't meant to be a sad story about a man with cancer, but more of an examination of the ways that culture (Mexican Machismo), society (Mexico City well-to-do sector), gender (Masculine male), identity (father, boss, successful lawyer) all play into our lives and how unsubstantial those things all really are when stripped away. In the end, we are all just human trying to live a life while we can and have a happy ending. Ramón seems to understand this as he loses all of these titles and begins to recognize it further as he begins to obsess over his final plans, what his wife will do afterward, his legacy for his children, and not having to pay back his brother. He turns from caring about himself and his cancer and moves towards focusing on the things that he finds to truely matter, the world after he dies. That realization, on his part, is what makes this such a powerful novel for me.
In this book, cancer becomes a metaphor, just as the body does. Cancer is described as being a random chance in the body where one's cells are influenced to grow differently than they should. In essence, you are your cancer and your cancer is you. It all becomes a metaphor for one another, as well as relationships. If we think of ourselves as a singular cell, we have the opportunity to affect so many other cells and branch out leaving a mark on others. We can create entire networks of bodies that are influenced by just one. Ramón, though his cancer shows how this network can be shaped, adjusted, and added to by chance or by need, just as cancer will move and grow by chance or when it needs.
I feel like I wrote an entire essay on this book, but honestly, there are so many other issues and ideas that can be drawn out from this book and discussed at length. This is the sort of book that I would have loved to read in a Medical Anthropology course because there is so much that is applicable. The book itself is rich with theoretical perspectives and ideas about the other and how disease and dis-ease can be metaphors when dealing with sickness, health, and the body. This book is so dense but so small and has a lot to say. I especially love that this was written by a Mexican author and works to discuss not only the Mexican culture but also the idea of Machismo in Mexican society and how men are expected to act within and outside of the family unit.
This book isn't one that you read in one sitting because it is very dense and there is just a lot to unpack. Other than being dense, I would definitely recommend this to someone who is looking for something that is a bit more cerebral and requires some opening up to theoretical ideas and concepts. I had to read it slowly and I probably didn't read more than 3 or 4 chapters a day, at the max. Overall, I am so glad I was sent an ARC of this one and that I stuck through until the end.
June 27, 2023
Lütfen asalım bayrakları, yeni bir Alejandro Zambramız var! Tek kitapla bunu ilan etmekten çekinirim normalde ama gerçekten aynı lezzet, aynı kara mizah, aynı zenginlik! Kaldı ki bizzat Zambra şunları demişken, ben ilan etmişim etmemişim ne fark eder? "Mutasyonlar muhteşem bir roman, trajik olduğu kadar da komik, çağdaş olduğu kadar da klasik ve hepsinin ötesinde unutulması imkânsız. Okuduktan sonra Jorge Comensal’ın okuyacağım başka romanları da olsa keşke diyeceksiniz; ama bu ilk romanı olduğundan sıradaki muhteşem kitabı tamamlanana kadar sabırla bekleyeceğiz artık." ❤️
Meksikalı yazar Jorge Comensal'ın ilk romanı Mutasyonlar gerçekten müthiş lezzetli. Aslında benim için okuması zor bir konusu olmasına rağmen (kanser ve ölüm) öyle güzel anlatılmış ki hikaye, insan kapılıp gidiyor. İnsan ölümle nasıl yüzleşir gibi trajik bir soruya cevap arıyor yazar, bunu yaparken en acı, en zor anlara bile sinmiş olan absürtlükleri bulup çıkarıyor; öyle ki yer yer kahkahalar attım. (Zaten asıl absürtlük bizzat başlangıçta: bir küçük hücrenin aykırı davranmaya karar vermesiyle oluşmuş ve öldürücü sonuçlar doğuran o mutasyonun nüvesindeki absürtlüğe bakmamızı istiyor yazar.) Ama bir yandan da hikayenin içine yedirdiği psikanaliz seanslarıyla derinleştiriyor metnini, doyurulamamış arzuların beslediği ölüm korkusunu, insanın kendi bedenine yabancılaşmasını, vedalaşmanın biçimlerini didikliyor.
Kahramanımız Ramon Martinez'in dilinde tespit edilen tümör nedeniyle dilinin alınması ve konuşma yetisini kaybetmesi ile gelişen olayların anlatıldığı metin, bu konuşma yetisini yitirme meselesi üzerinden dil ve anlatma konusuna da kafa yoruyor. Hayatını konuşarak kazanan bir avukat olan Martinez, en değerli becerisini yitirince pek çok şeyle yüzleşmek zorunda kalıyor. Aynı şekilde, psikanalizin en temel gereci olan dili ve diyaloğu kullanamadığımız durumda, terapi nasıl mümkün olabilir sorusuna dair de düşündürtüyor yazar.
Görünenlerin altında da kimlik, orta sınıfın değer yargıları ve erkekliğe dair bir dolu katman var. Ezcümle ben bayıldım. 29 yaşında yazılmış bir ilk roman olduğu düşünülünce hele ayrıca müthiş. Seni izleyeceğim Comensal, inandım ben sana. 🤍
Meksikalı yazar Jorge Comensal'ın ilk romanı Mutasyonlar gerçekten müthiş lezzetli. Aslında benim için okuması zor bir konusu olmasına rağmen (kanser ve ölüm) öyle güzel anlatılmış ki hikaye, insan kapılıp gidiyor. İnsan ölümle nasıl yüzleşir gibi trajik bir soruya cevap arıyor yazar, bunu yaparken en acı, en zor anlara bile sinmiş olan absürtlükleri bulup çıkarıyor; öyle ki yer yer kahkahalar attım. (Zaten asıl absürtlük bizzat başlangıçta: bir küçük hücrenin aykırı davranmaya karar vermesiyle oluşmuş ve öldürücü sonuçlar doğuran o mutasyonun nüvesindeki absürtlüğe bakmamızı istiyor yazar.) Ama bir yandan da hikayenin içine yedirdiği psikanaliz seanslarıyla derinleştiriyor metnini, doyurulamamış arzuların beslediği ölüm korkusunu, insanın kendi bedenine yabancılaşmasını, vedalaşmanın biçimlerini didikliyor.
Kahramanımız Ramon Martinez'in dilinde tespit edilen tümör nedeniyle dilinin alınması ve konuşma yetisini kaybetmesi ile gelişen olayların anlatıldığı metin, bu konuşma yetisini yitirme meselesi üzerinden dil ve anlatma konusuna da kafa yoruyor. Hayatını konuşarak kazanan bir avukat olan Martinez, en değerli becerisini yitirince pek çok şeyle yüzleşmek zorunda kalıyor. Aynı şekilde, psikanalizin en temel gereci olan dili ve diyaloğu kullanamadığımız durumda, terapi nasıl mümkün olabilir sorusuna dair de düşündürtüyor yazar.
Görünenlerin altında da kimlik, orta sınıfın değer yargıları ve erkekliğe dair bir dolu katman var. Ezcümle ben bayıldım. 29 yaşında yazılmış bir ilk roman olduğu düşünülünce hele ayrıca müthiş. Seni izleyeceğim Comensal, inandım ben sana. 🤍
July 18, 2023
Pek sevdiğim Alejandro Zambra, Mutasyonlar için şöyle diyor : ‘Okuduktan sonra Jorge Comensal’ın okuyacağım başka romanları da olsa keşke diyeceksiniz; ama bu ilk romanı olduğundan sıradaki muhteşem kitabı tamamlanana kadar sabırla bekleyeceğiz artık.’
Hakkında bu yorumu okuduğum bir kitaba büyük bir beklenti ile başladım elbet. Ki beklentim de fazlasıyla yerini buldu.
Tümör nedeniyle dilini aldıran bir avukat, bu hastalıkla aniden hayatları değişen ailesi, evin sadık yardımcısı ve bu haneye sonradan eklenen, dili baharatlı papağan Benito~
Tabii bir de danışanlarına marihuana öneren psikanalist Teresa var~
Ölümün nihai eylemimiz olduğunu bilmemiz onu soğukkanlılık ile beklemek anlamına gelmiyor. Belki de hep bir umuda sarılıyoruzdur, daha geç olacağını düşünmeye başlıyoruzdur. Ramon da konuşma yetisini kaybettiğinde hazırlıklarına başlıyor, ‘benden sonrası’na.
.
Jorge Comensal öyle çok şeye değiniyor ki! Kayıplar, korkular, eşitsizlikler, sabır ve sükunet.. Çok sevdim Mutasyonları..
.
Nergis Gürcihan, Efecan Sezer kapak tasarımıyla ~
Hakkında bu yorumu okuduğum bir kitaba büyük bir beklenti ile başladım elbet. Ki beklentim de fazlasıyla yerini buldu.
Tümör nedeniyle dilini aldıran bir avukat, bu hastalıkla aniden hayatları değişen ailesi, evin sadık yardımcısı ve bu haneye sonradan eklenen, dili baharatlı papağan Benito~
Tabii bir de danışanlarına marihuana öneren psikanalist Teresa var~
Ölümün nihai eylemimiz olduğunu bilmemiz onu soğukkanlılık ile beklemek anlamına gelmiyor. Belki de hep bir umuda sarılıyoruzdur, daha geç olacağını düşünmeye başlıyoruzdur. Ramon da konuşma yetisini kaybettiğinde hazırlıklarına başlıyor, ‘benden sonrası’na.
.
Jorge Comensal öyle çok şeye değiniyor ki! Kayıplar, korkular, eşitsizlikler, sabır ve sükunet.. Çok sevdim Mutasyonları..
.
Nergis Gürcihan, Efecan Sezer kapak tasarımıyla ~
September 16, 2018
Empecé pensando que quizás el tono no me fascinaba, algo ceremonioso, o demasiado solemne. Lo pensé al principio, me parecía un poco plano, pero la verdad es que fue tomando forma. Tiene muchos elementos, empezando por la enfermedad, el cáncer, para ser precisos, y se va hacia distintas cosas, hacia el psicoanálisis, hacia la familia, y tiene momentos graciosos. Está muy bien pensada y escrita, y eso que sentí al principio fue equivocado. Sí es un libro serio, pero desarrolla super bien todos los hilos. Me gusta el personaje de la analista, y algunas situaciones están bastante buenas, el loro y la criada y todo eso. Me intriga leer algo más de Comensal. Y hasta hay lugar para personajes no tan buena onda, pero que pueden caer simpáticos, como el hermano del protagonista, que es un tipo medio mala onda, pero tienen su complejidad, no son personajes planos ni simples. ¿Qué onda con este escritor? no se absolutamente nada más que este libro que me recomendó un amigo, y que me alegro de haberle hecho caso.
January 19, 2024
// The comedy in tragedy //
Comensal's short novel explores the weightiest of matters (cancer) through the lives of three people in modern Mexico City: Rámon, recently diagnosed with aggressive mouth cancer, Teresa, a breast cancer survivor who counsels other cancer patients, and Dr. Aldama, an oncologist more caught up on getting his work published and honored over patient care.
Rámon's cancer progresses so quickly that he must have his tongue removed and immediately begin chemotherapy and radiation. A wealthy successful attorney becomes ill, mute, and indebted in a matter of weeks, and his family (his wife, 2 teenage children, a live-in housekeeper, and his brother) all take part in his care. We see the effects on the entire family and Rámon's frustrations and grief over what he has lost so quickly. Elodia, his housekeeper, decides to buy him a parrot in a kind of absurd "you can't talk, so he'll be your voice" conciliation, and Benito the Parrot begins to spew obscenities and curses. Rámon sees Benito as the only one who truly understands him.
Teresa's chapters introduce some of her other therapy patients, primarily centering a young man who had childhood leukemia and developed OCD and germaphobia. Teresa begins to work with Rámon and his wife later in the book, supplying him with cannabis that she grows in her basement to give to her clientele. Teresa's chapters are conveyed through her own therapy sessions, as she talks about her work with her clients and her role in provide clarity and calm through both cannabis and therapy. As Teresa begins treating Rámon, she finds online chatting while in the same room on respective laptops the best way to "read" him, seeing his words and his body language at the same time.
Dr. Aldama's chapters are often much shorter and more technical. He is fascinated by Rámon's rare tongue cancer and plans to publish the work in top journals... but he can't get his colleagues on board. His chapters include a lot of brainstorming and philosophy, often while he is in public spaces, or daydreaming while he is at a friend's wedding.
THE MUTATIONS is an emotional ride looking at the absurdities of life and death, the ways we try to placate/sooth ourselves in crisis, the desire for care, compassion, and understanding, and how we ultimately exit the world and are remembered by those we've left.
Comensal's short novel explores the weightiest of matters (cancer) through the lives of three people in modern Mexico City: Rámon, recently diagnosed with aggressive mouth cancer, Teresa, a breast cancer survivor who counsels other cancer patients, and Dr. Aldama, an oncologist more caught up on getting his work published and honored over patient care.
Rámon's cancer progresses so quickly that he must have his tongue removed and immediately begin chemotherapy and radiation. A wealthy successful attorney becomes ill, mute, and indebted in a matter of weeks, and his family (his wife, 2 teenage children, a live-in housekeeper, and his brother) all take part in his care. We see the effects on the entire family and Rámon's frustrations and grief over what he has lost so quickly. Elodia, his housekeeper, decides to buy him a parrot in a kind of absurd "you can't talk, so he'll be your voice" conciliation, and Benito the Parrot begins to spew obscenities and curses. Rámon sees Benito as the only one who truly understands him.
Teresa's chapters introduce some of her other therapy patients, primarily centering a young man who had childhood leukemia and developed OCD and germaphobia. Teresa begins to work with Rámon and his wife later in the book, supplying him with cannabis that she grows in her basement to give to her clientele. Teresa's chapters are conveyed through her own therapy sessions, as she talks about her work with her clients and her role in provide clarity and calm through both cannabis and therapy. As Teresa begins treating Rámon, she finds online chatting while in the same room on respective laptops the best way to "read" him, seeing his words and his body language at the same time.
He's detached from his body, like a monk taking a vow of silence. The Buddhists, the Carthusians, the Trappists. Silence distances you from the flesh. Don't you think it's a paradox that something as invisible as speech should be precisely what keeps us tied to the body?
Dr. Aldama's chapters are often much shorter and more technical. He is fascinated by Rámon's rare tongue cancer and plans to publish the work in top journals... but he can't get his colleagues on board. His chapters include a lot of brainstorming and philosophy, often while he is in public spaces, or daydreaming while he is at a friend's wedding.
What surprised him was stepping out on the street and seeing so many healthy people. Good health wasn't a state of peace and harmony with the environment... it was quite the opposite - a fleeting victory over chaos, a balancing act on a tightrope stretched over an abyss of turmoil. The 'health' touted on TV was the opium of a century of narcissists, an effective illusion for marketing vitamins, salads, and activewear, but useless for understanding the body's relationship to the world... Thirty-seven trillion cells, for instance, answered to the name of Rámon Martinez, and among them lived a band of renegades...
THE MUTATIONS is an emotional ride looking at the absurdities of life and death, the ways we try to placate/sooth ourselves in crisis, the desire for care, compassion, and understanding, and how we ultimately exit the world and are remembered by those we've left.
October 15, 2020
Divertido. Tal vez mucho para la historia que cuenta.
La muerte de Ramón acechando. Él ajustando lo pendiente. En su familia, cada quien en una lectura muy propia de la situación. Y la maravillosa Elodia, dándole al libro lo más cómico, lo mas humano y lo más hermoso.
La muerte de Ramón acechando. Él ajustando lo pendiente. En su familia, cada quien en una lectura muy propia de la situación. Y la maravillosa Elodia, dándole al libro lo más cómico, lo mas humano y lo más hermoso.
March 24, 2020
This was a very unusual little book. I don't know if maybe something was lost in the translation, but I didn't find much of the humor that the book blurb promised. I found the absurd for sure but it just didn't work for me.
December 11, 2017
Me ha sorprendido gratamente. Humor, ciencia, drama se mezclan para hacer un magistral texto sobre la enfermedad, la vida y la muerte (el miedo). Lo recomiendo ampliamente.
September 13, 2022
Ramón, el personaje principal, descubre al inicio de la novela que tiene cáncer en la lengua. Jorge Comensal trata el tema y te sumerge con su escritura de una manera ágil, real, divertida y profundamente humana. Con toda la problemática que puede conllevar una situación tal. Por cierto, amé al perico!
Coincido por completo con Guadalupe Nettel: “Afilado, divertidísimo y, sin embargo, sensible. Una primera novela impresionante.”
¡Gracias Ale por la recomendación!
December 25, 2018
Aunque le tengo mucho respeto a las novelas humorísticas (siempre tengo miedo de perderme el hilo o no reírme lo que merecen) me gusta muchísimo ésta porque va en la línea de lo que yo estudio y propongo: reírnos de la desgracia. Solo a Comensal se le ocurre atar varias vidas y hacernos sufrir y reír con el cancer de por medio. Bravo. La portada, ademas, me fascina.
October 9, 2023
Retrata México y su clase media desde un lugar racional, un poco cientificista. Realismo al estio literatura mexicana, tiene momentos graciosos. Es una novela ingeniosa, el autor tiene talento y escribe desde un lugar extraño, como si pasara por encima de las cosas y la sociedad y la ansiedad, en vez de entrar a ellas. Se burla de los lugares comunes nacionales.
October 3, 2020
3 días y 204 páginas después. El primer libro que leo del autor, y que fue un préstamo de un colega de los libros.
No sabía que esperar acerca del libro, tanto que no quise leer la sinopsis. Solo lo leí y ya.
La primera parte es bastante ágil, pero después de las cien páginas lo sentí un poco más lento. Mezclar dos historias distintas me agrada bastante, pero en esta ocasión es un poco confuso. Y aunque sí se tocan, siento que tenía más potencial.
La historia es bastante mexicana: un loro vulgar, una señora del aseo, y una familia mejicana, me hizo sentir muy cómodo. El gran problema es un final tan precipitado, qué, no le hace justicia a esta gran historia. Creo que había mucho de dónde cortar, pero el autor se lo quedó con ganas de no aburrir al lector. Cosa que puede funcionar, pero en este caso la historia es tan amena que da para explayarse.
Tomando como base la enfermedad del siglo XXI, todo es posible.
Probablemente habrá reseña.
No sabía que esperar acerca del libro, tanto que no quise leer la sinopsis. Solo lo leí y ya.
La primera parte es bastante ágil, pero después de las cien páginas lo sentí un poco más lento. Mezclar dos historias distintas me agrada bastante, pero en esta ocasión es un poco confuso. Y aunque sí se tocan, siento que tenía más potencial.
La historia es bastante mexicana: un loro vulgar, una señora del aseo, y una familia mejicana, me hizo sentir muy cómodo. El gran problema es un final tan precipitado, qué, no le hace justicia a esta gran historia. Creo que había mucho de dónde cortar, pero el autor se lo quedó con ganas de no aburrir al lector. Cosa que puede funcionar, pero en este caso la historia es tan amena que da para explayarse.
Tomando como base la enfermedad del siglo XXI, todo es posible.
Probablemente habrá reseña.
January 9, 2020
Una muy divertida y conmovedora novela. Una voz aguda y original, capaz de tratar lo trágico con gran sentido del humor.
Ésta es una comedia sobre el cáncer.
Gran capacidad para parodiar la jerga psicoanalítica y médica.
En la tradición de Ibargüengoitia, Ortuño y Villalobos.
Ésta es una comedia sobre el cáncer.
Gran capacidad para parodiar la jerga psicoanalítica y médica.
En la tradición de Ibargüengoitia, Ortuño y Villalobos.
May 16, 2019
Una novela excelentemente bien escrita y a la vez, hermosa.
February 25, 2024
Çok severek okuduğum bir kitap oldu Mutasyonlar. Engellilik, hastalık, değişen roller ve hayat konusunu çok gerçekçi ve çok yönlü olarak anlatmış.
Terapist Teresa ve Eduardo kısımlarını çok gerçekçi ve keyifli buldum.
Herkese tavsiye ederim kitabı.
Tek eksik bulduğum yan kitabın daha uzun yazılmamış olması oldu. Karakterleri daha çok okumak isterdim.
Terapist Teresa ve Eduardo kısımlarını çok gerçekçi ve keyifli buldum.
Herkese tavsiye ederim kitabı.
Tek eksik bulduğum yan kitabın daha uzun yazılmamış olması oldu. Karakterleri daha çok okumak isterdim.
February 21, 2020
Jorge Comensal trata el tema y te sumerge en su escritura de una manera ágil, real, divertida y profundamente humana. Entrañables personajes. Ale gracias por la recomendación a su lectura.
July 30, 2024
Ramon is diagnosed with cancer. His surgery leaves him without a tongue. Learning to live with his new reality becomes increasingly difficult.
A thought provoking story about illness and how it affects a family. Also an interesting account of how a person wants autonomy and dignity when dealing with a deadly disease.
A thought provoking story about illness and how it affects a family. Also an interesting account of how a person wants autonomy and dignity when dealing with a deadly disease.
August 14, 2023
Bir mutasyonun yarattığı sorunlarla boğuşurken mükemmel bir kitap okudum. Hem akıcı hem de kullanılan tekniklere hayran oldum. Kitabı @eylulgormus ‘ün sayfasında görmüştüm. Alejandro Zambra’nın arka kapak yazısını okuyunca da önceliğe aldım.
Anlatıda mutasyon olarak vurgulanan konu kanser. Konuşarak para kazanan, avukat olan ana kahramanın diline yerleşen ve hatta akciğerine metastaz yapan tümör nedeniyle bir anda sessizleşmek zorunda kalması ve Jorge Comensal’ın bu sessizliği harika bir kurguyla anlatabilmesi bence bu kitabın mucizesi.
İçinde psikoloji, tıp ve edebiyata dair çok örnek var. Kitabın son bölümünde metni çok iyi analiz etmiş iki ayrı yazı da mevcut. O nedenle benim tekrar etmeme gerek yok.
Bugünlerde sıklıkla pekiştirdiğim bir cümleyle kitapta karşılaşmak da cabası oldu. Ya ben ermişlik mertebesine doğru hızla yol alıyorum ya da bu ara fazla yüklendi hayat:
“Doktorluk henüz tam olgunlaşmamış, büyük ölçüde sezgisel, kusursuz sonuç vermesinin beklenmeyeceği bir meslekti.”
Eylül Görmüş’e tavsiyesi için, Meksikalı yazar Jorge Comensal’a kurgusu, üslubu ve dili için, Nergis Gürcihan’a çevirisi için, @bilgiyayinevi ‘ne metni bizimle buluşturduğu için çok teşekkürler.
Mutlaka okuyun, ben çok sevdim.
5/5
#kitapeniyiarkadastir
Anlatıda mutasyon olarak vurgulanan konu kanser. Konuşarak para kazanan, avukat olan ana kahramanın diline yerleşen ve hatta akciğerine metastaz yapan tümör nedeniyle bir anda sessizleşmek zorunda kalması ve Jorge Comensal’ın bu sessizliği harika bir kurguyla anlatabilmesi bence bu kitabın mucizesi.
İçinde psikoloji, tıp ve edebiyata dair çok örnek var. Kitabın son bölümünde metni çok iyi analiz etmiş iki ayrı yazı da mevcut. O nedenle benim tekrar etmeme gerek yok.
Bugünlerde sıklıkla pekiştirdiğim bir cümleyle kitapta karşılaşmak da cabası oldu. Ya ben ermişlik mertebesine doğru hızla yol alıyorum ya da bu ara fazla yüklendi hayat:
“Doktorluk henüz tam olgunlaşmamış, büyük ölçüde sezgisel, kusursuz sonuç vermesinin beklenmeyeceği bir meslekti.”
Eylül Görmüş’e tavsiyesi için, Meksikalı yazar Jorge Comensal’a kurgusu, üslubu ve dili için, Nergis Gürcihan’a çevirisi için, @bilgiyayinevi ‘ne metni bizimle buluşturduğu için çok teşekkürler.
Mutlaka okuyun, ben çok sevdim.
5/5
#kitapeniyiarkadastir
February 4, 2021
رواية خفيفة وممتعة.
June 10, 2024
يصاب المحامي رامون قبل بلوغه سن الخمسين بقليل بسرطان نادر في اللسان مما يستدعي استئصاله كاملاً .
هذا الحدث يزلزل كيان العائلة، تضطر الزوجة للعودة للمحاماة بعد فترة طويلة من عدم ممارسة المهنة لإدارة مكتب المحاماة الذي يملكه زوجها دون أن تملك خبرته ولا شطارته لكسب بعض النقود لكن الأمر لايفلح فيلجأان للاستدانة من شقيقه الذي يصر على رهن بيتهم مقابل النقود.
تتغير أحوال رامون مع العلاج الكيميائي والاكتئاب وتبدأ رحلته مع العلاج النفسي عند تيريزا التي هي نفسها كانت ناجية من سرطان الثدي وبسببه تخصصت في العلاج النفسي لمرضى السرطان.
ت��ديه إلوديا الخادمة ببغاء منتوف الريش يسميه بينيتو ويصبح أقرب إليه من أي شخص في العائلة، تكون المفارقة الأولى أن الببغاء يستطيع التفوه بكلمات بينما هو لا يستطيع.
نتابع رحلة رامون مع المرض ومحاولات الأطباء علاجه، وكسب بحث علمي جديد عن الطفرة التي أدت أن يصاب رامون بهذا السرطان الذي يصيب الأطفال، نتابع صراعه النفسي للتأقلم مع المرض وأعراضه إذ لم تقتصر معاناة رامون مع استئصال لسانه على حرمانه من الكلام الذي أدى لفقدانه لعمله الذي يعتمد على الكلمة وقد كان محامياً قوياً لامعاً محباً لعمله فكيف يصدق أنه هو نفسه هذا الضعيف الذي لايقدر على الكلام ، بل لم يعد يستطيع البلع ولا تحريك ��للقم ولا التمتع بالطعام أو تذوقه.
لم يعد يستطيع التعبير عن غضبه، ولا مجاراة الآخرين بنقاش أو حوار أو قصة ، ماهي إلا جمل متفرقة يكتبها على ورقة ليبوح بما يريد باختصار .
كيف كان رب أسرة يحمي أفرادها ويؤمن لهم احتياجاتهم الحياتية وكيف أضحى عبئاً ثقيلاً ، مادياً ومعنوياً
فكيف سينتهي أمر رامون ؟.
رواية مؤلمة جداً لكنها مهمة وملهمة ، نتعرف فيها على معلومات طبية كثيرة، و معلومات تاريخية وسياسية عن المكسيك، ومعلومات موسيقية وفلسفية ومعلومات في التحليل النفسي..
ملاحظة : كان الدور النسوي إيجابياً من الخادمة للزوجة للابنة للمعالجة النفسية تيريزا ، بينما كان الدور الرجولي سلبياً من الأخ عديم الشفقة ، للابن الذي ظل طوال الرواية واضعاً السماعات في أذنيه منفصلاً عن كل ما يدور حوله، ( حين طالبت الابنة أمها بجعل أخيها يأخذ دوراً أكبر في العناية بالأب دافعت عنه بحجة عدم كفاءة الرجال العاطفية في هذا المجال) لزوج إلوديا ، حتى الأطباء الرجال لم يكن ما يحركهم التعاطف مع المرضى وإنما البحث الجديد والطمع بنوبل ، وحتى الرغبة الجنسية.
💥خورخيه كومنسال كاتبٌ مكسيكي من مواليد عام 1987، حاز منحة معهد الآداب المكسيكي والصندوق الوطني للثقافة والفنون، درَس الأدب الإسباني واللغة وعلوم الفلسفة، وعمِل محررًا لمجلة جامعة المكسيك، أصدر بحثًا عنوانه "مدمنو اللغة" في عام 2017. تُرجمت روايته "الطفرات"، الصادرة في طبعتها الأولى في عام 2016، إلى لغاتٍ عدة (الإيطالية والفرنسية والإنكليزية والألمانية والصينية) ترجمت للعربية ٢٠٢٠.
د.نسرين درّاج
هذا الحدث يزلزل كيان العائلة، تضطر الزوجة للعودة للمحاماة بعد فترة طويلة من عدم ممارسة المهنة لإدارة مكتب المحاماة الذي يملكه زوجها دون أن تملك خبرته ولا شطارته لكسب بعض النقود لكن الأمر لايفلح فيلجأان للاستدانة من شقيقه الذي يصر على رهن بيتهم مقابل النقود.
تتغير أحوال رامون مع العلاج الكيميائي والاكتئاب وتبدأ رحلته مع العلاج النفسي عند تيريزا التي هي نفسها كانت ناجية من سرطان الثدي وبسببه تخصصت في العلاج النفسي لمرضى السرطان.
ت��ديه إلوديا الخادمة ببغاء منتوف الريش يسميه بينيتو ويصبح أقرب إليه من أي شخص في العائلة، تكون المفارقة الأولى أن الببغاء يستطيع التفوه بكلمات بينما هو لا يستطيع.
نتابع رحلة رامون مع المرض ومحاولات الأطباء علاجه، وكسب بحث علمي جديد عن الطفرة التي أدت أن يصاب رامون بهذا السرطان الذي يصيب الأطفال، نتابع صراعه النفسي للتأقلم مع المرض وأعراضه إذ لم تقتصر معاناة رامون مع استئصال لسانه على حرمانه من الكلام الذي أدى لفقدانه لعمله الذي يعتمد على الكلمة وقد كان محامياً قوياً لامعاً محباً لعمله فكيف يصدق أنه هو نفسه هذا الضعيف الذي لايقدر على الكلام ، بل لم يعد يستطيع البلع ولا تحريك ��للقم ولا التمتع بالطعام أو تذوقه.
لم يعد يستطيع التعبير عن غضبه، ولا مجاراة الآخرين بنقاش أو حوار أو قصة ، ماهي إلا جمل متفرقة يكتبها على ورقة ليبوح بما يريد باختصار .
كيف كان رب أسرة يحمي أفرادها ويؤمن لهم احتياجاتهم الحياتية وكيف أضحى عبئاً ثقيلاً ، مادياً ومعنوياً
فكيف سينتهي أمر رامون ؟.
رواية مؤلمة جداً لكنها مهمة وملهمة ، نتعرف فيها على معلومات طبية كثيرة، و معلومات تاريخية وسياسية عن المكسيك، ومعلومات موسيقية وفلسفية ومعلومات في التحليل النفسي..
ملاحظة : كان الدور النسوي إيجابياً من الخادمة للزوجة للابنة للمعالجة النفسية تيريزا ، بينما كان الدور الرجولي سلبياً من الأخ عديم الشفقة ، للابن الذي ظل طوال الرواية واضعاً السماعات في أذنيه منفصلاً عن كل ما يدور حوله، ( حين طالبت الابنة أمها بجعل أخيها يأخذ دوراً أكبر في العناية بالأب دافعت عنه بحجة عدم كفاءة الرجال العاطفية في هذا المجال) لزوج إلوديا ، حتى الأطباء الرجال لم يكن ما يحركهم التعاطف مع المرضى وإنما البحث الجديد والطمع بنوبل ، وحتى الرغبة الجنسية.
💥خورخيه كومنسال كاتبٌ مكسيكي من مواليد عام 1987، حاز منحة معهد الآداب المكسيكي والصندوق الوطني للثقافة والفنون، درَس الأدب الإسباني واللغة وعلوم الفلسفة، وعمِل محررًا لمجلة جامعة المكسيك، أصدر بحثًا عنوانه "مدمنو اللغة" في عام 2017. تُرجمت روايته "الطفرات"، الصادرة في طبعتها الأولى في عام 2016، إلى لغاتٍ عدة (الإيطالية والفرنسية والإنكليزية والألمانية والصينية) ترجمت للعربية ٢٠٢٠.
د.نسرين درّاج
August 26, 2021
Comensal racchiude in poche pagine, non senza cinismo e humor, una serie di dense riflessioni sul rapporto dell'uomo con la morte. Lo fa raccontando storie che si intrecciano e che sono collegate tra loro dalla morte, appunto.
La storia sembra ruotare principalmente intorno a Ramon, a cui viene asportata la lingua dopo una diagnosi di tumore. Accanto a lui, la sua famiglia, che vive insieme a lui, ognuno alla propria maniera; il presagio di morte. Poi c'è uno dei personaggi che ho trovato più belli e commoventi, e cioè la (pia) donna di servizio, Elodia, che lo accudirà fino alla fine e il pappagallo malandato, donato dalla stessa Elodia a Ramon, e confidente di Ramon.
Accanto a loro, la terapista sopravvissuta ad un tumore al seno molto aggressivo, un suo paziente, giovane sopravvissuto alla leucemia, che però non riesce a staccarsi dal suo stato di malato e l'oncologo che segue Ramon, sinceramente il personaggio meno interessante (almeno per me).
Comensal riesce attraverso questi personaggi, raccontando vicende al limite del tragicomico e senza mai scadere nel cattivo gusto, varie sfaccettature del nostro rapporto con la morte: l'atteggiamento a "struzzo" (se non cerco un tumore, non ce l'ho), l'uso della malattia e della paura come scusa per non vivere, l'accettazione di se stessi in quanto esseri destinati a morire, la ricerca di un vantaggio per se stessi dalla morte degli altri, il rispetto per la vita e la morte degli altri.
Poche pagine, se avesse "allungato il brodo" credo che la resa non sarebbe stata migliore, che rendono chiaro quanto sia necessario affrontare certi argomenti per poter vivere la propria vita nel modo più sereno e pieno possibile.
Non gli do 5 stelle forse perché non ho amato particolarmente la caratterizzazione del personaggio del medico.
La storia sembra ruotare principalmente intorno a Ramon, a cui viene asportata la lingua dopo una diagnosi di tumore. Accanto a lui, la sua famiglia, che vive insieme a lui, ognuno alla propria maniera; il presagio di morte. Poi c'è uno dei personaggi che ho trovato più belli e commoventi, e cioè la (pia) donna di servizio, Elodia, che lo accudirà fino alla fine e il pappagallo malandato, donato dalla stessa Elodia a Ramon, e confidente di Ramon.
Accanto a loro, la terapista sopravvissuta ad un tumore al seno molto aggressivo, un suo paziente, giovane sopravvissuto alla leucemia, che però non riesce a staccarsi dal suo stato di malato e l'oncologo che segue Ramon, sinceramente il personaggio meno interessante (almeno per me).
Comensal riesce attraverso questi personaggi, raccontando vicende al limite del tragicomico e senza mai scadere nel cattivo gusto, varie sfaccettature del nostro rapporto con la morte: l'atteggiamento a "struzzo" (se non cerco un tumore, non ce l'ho), l'uso della malattia e della paura come scusa per non vivere, l'accettazione di se stessi in quanto esseri destinati a morire, la ricerca di un vantaggio per se stessi dalla morte degli altri, il rispetto per la vita e la morte degli altri.
Poche pagine, se avesse "allungato il brodo" credo che la resa non sarebbe stata migliore, che rendono chiaro quanto sia necessario affrontare certi argomenti per poter vivere la propria vita nel modo più sereno e pieno possibile.
Non gli do 5 stelle forse perché non ho amato particolarmente la caratterizzazione del personaggio del medico.
August 15, 2023
Bu ilk roman klişe bir konunun nasıl klişeye kaçmadan anlatılacağının iyi bir örneği. Bir avukatın başına üzücü bir olay gelir ve bundan kendisi, etrafındakiler ve onların da etrafındakiler bundan nasıl etkilenir.
Günlük hayattaki olayları, duyguları, tepkileri gerçekçi anlatan romanları seviyorum.
Doğumgünü yemeği, kurabiyeler ve sinema bölümleri favorilerim 👍🏻💯
Romanla pek de ilgisi olmayan arka kapak yazısı ve okunmayı artırsın diye eklendiğini düşündüğüm (çünkü çok klişe) Alejandro Zambra’nın yorumu olmasa da olurmuş 👎🏻 hiç ihtiyacı yok ki…
Günlük hayattaki olayları, duyguları, tepkileri gerçekçi anlatan romanları seviyorum.
Doğumgünü yemeği, kurabiyeler ve sinema bölümleri favorilerim 👍🏻💯
Romanla pek de ilgisi olmayan arka kapak yazısı ve okunmayı artırsın diye eklendiğini düşündüğüm (çünkü çok klişe) Alejandro Zambra’nın yorumu olmasa da olurmuş 👎🏻 hiç ihtiyacı yok ki…
February 21, 2020
Un libro donde te confronta con la realidad ,el enfermo y cómo se vive de tantas maneras . Amé el personaje de Ramón, Benito y Elodia .Gran libro.....Gracias Soul Sister
August 1, 2021
The Mutations by Jorge Comensal attempts to balance humor, sadness, and a cerebral discussion of what cancer is and does. This is Comensal's first novel, and we readers see the glimmers of potential--and moments of triumph!-- and the struggles. The Mutations is both overworked and underdeveloped, but it stays alive with timely laughs.
I was impressed early on with the philosophical discussion of cancer, as Comensal traces its genealogical roots as they intertwine with Mexican colonial history. But then that thread goes away, replaced with other conceits. These sections are individually interesting, but because they do not touch the story, and they do not build a coherent case, they feel auxiliary, tacked on.
I have to admit my bias against therapy scenes in novels. I read it as (a) a lazy way to explain a characters internal world, and (b) an insult to readers who should be trusted to understand characters without having being told. Comensal relies heavily on these scenes to the detriment of the story. Not only does he subject readers to subconscious-dumps, but because there is so little movement, so little action in these sequences, the plot of the novel consists almost entirely of people sitting and thinking and talking to others about their thinking. The scene in which the psychoanalyst character attends her own psychoanalysis session was masturbatory, and I blush to even think about it.
The momentum of the story is carried by Ramón Martinez, a business man who has a rare cancer that begins in his tongue, which he loses at the beginning of the novel. Martinez has many worldly tasks to complete for his family before he is overcome by his illness, and this gives us our ticking clock. It is also the emotional heart The Mutations, but the deliberate choice to lop off Ramón's tongue means we lose out on the familial conversations, the appeals, the anger, and the absolutions. Ramon's muteness, I think, is a play on the isolation of a traumatic illness like cancer. It serves Comensal's style, too, because instead of scenes where he would interact with others, we get Ramón's uninterrupted thoughts. It may also be a comment on machismo silence in matters of loss, but if that is the case, then Comensal damns Martinez from the beginning, presupposing his silence and eliminating his capacity to share emotion. Martinez is then, entrapped in his masculinity, denied redemption, and he serves as a one-dimensional parody of machismo rather than a criticism of it.
This book reminds me of The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace, a conceptual novel that condescends to its readers rather than establishing stakes or characters. DFW came to mind first as Comensal relished in the discussions of the biology of cancer and its treatment. Beyond that, the two stories left me feeling the same: disappointed but curious. Jorge Comensal proved that he can address big ideas. His next step must be to have confidence in himself and his readers. Let characters have tongues! Literally! DFW is a polarizing figure, and he is not necessarily a fun person to be compared to-- being a neo-Foster-Wallian comes with baggage. That said, DFW's later works were much more fun to read that The Broom of the System. Comensal doesn't need to return with a 1000 page follow up to The Mutations (in fact, The Mutations would be best improved by cutting it almost in half), but he should allow more space for interaction and messiness, for this characters to have voices other than his own, and for them to act in surprising, human ways.
A brief note on the humor: It worked! Again, like Wallace, Comensal juxtaposes intellectual discussions with low brow humor. In The Mutations, a parrot screeches obscenities, and it made me laugh each time.
3/5 Stars. Comensal is an exciting new voice, and he clearly has the brain to write good literature. In his next book, I hope to get a better sense of his heart.
I was impressed early on with the philosophical discussion of cancer, as Comensal traces its genealogical roots as they intertwine with Mexican colonial history. But then that thread goes away, replaced with other conceits. These sections are individually interesting, but because they do not touch the story, and they do not build a coherent case, they feel auxiliary, tacked on.
I have to admit my bias against therapy scenes in novels. I read it as (a) a lazy way to explain a characters internal world, and (b) an insult to readers who should be trusted to understand characters without having being told. Comensal relies heavily on these scenes to the detriment of the story. Not only does he subject readers to subconscious-dumps, but because there is so little movement, so little action in these sequences, the plot of the novel consists almost entirely of people sitting and thinking and talking to others about their thinking. The scene in which the psychoanalyst character attends her own psychoanalysis session was masturbatory, and I blush to even think about it.
The momentum of the story is carried by Ramón Martinez, a business man who has a rare cancer that begins in his tongue, which he loses at the beginning of the novel. Martinez has many worldly tasks to complete for his family before he is overcome by his illness, and this gives us our ticking clock. It is also the emotional heart The Mutations, but the deliberate choice to lop off Ramón's tongue means we lose out on the familial conversations, the appeals, the anger, and the absolutions. Ramon's muteness, I think, is a play on the isolation of a traumatic illness like cancer. It serves Comensal's style, too, because instead of scenes where he would interact with others, we get Ramón's uninterrupted thoughts. It may also be a comment on machismo silence in matters of loss, but if that is the case, then Comensal damns Martinez from the beginning, presupposing his silence and eliminating his capacity to share emotion. Martinez is then, entrapped in his masculinity, denied redemption, and he serves as a one-dimensional parody of machismo rather than a criticism of it.
This book reminds me of The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace, a conceptual novel that condescends to its readers rather than establishing stakes or characters. DFW came to mind first as Comensal relished in the discussions of the biology of cancer and its treatment. Beyond that, the two stories left me feeling the same: disappointed but curious. Jorge Comensal proved that he can address big ideas. His next step must be to have confidence in himself and his readers. Let characters have tongues! Literally! DFW is a polarizing figure, and he is not necessarily a fun person to be compared to-- being a neo-Foster-Wallian comes with baggage. That said, DFW's later works were much more fun to read that The Broom of the System. Comensal doesn't need to return with a 1000 page follow up to The Mutations (in fact, The Mutations would be best improved by cutting it almost in half), but he should allow more space for interaction and messiness, for this characters to have voices other than his own, and for them to act in surprising, human ways.
A brief note on the humor: It worked! Again, like Wallace, Comensal juxtaposes intellectual discussions with low brow humor. In The Mutations, a parrot screeches obscenities, and it made me laugh each time.
3/5 Stars. Comensal is an exciting new voice, and he clearly has the brain to write good literature. In his next book, I hope to get a better sense of his heart.
January 31, 2021
Esta es la primera novela del mexicano Jorge Comensal. Me alegró haber leído cada una de las páginas y admiré la audacia con la que puede hacerte cargar de risa al mismo tiempo que la historia principal es más bien de carácter dramático (Ramón, el protagonista, es diagnosticado con cáncer). Supongo que la vida es así y Comensal tuvo una gran agilidad al contarla. Es destacable también como las historias paralelas no se pierden o ven limitadas, al contrario, ayudan con la ligereza de la desgracia pero también son plenas y no sólo accesorias. Definitivamente es una novela recomendable, seguro una de las mejores novelas actuales en América latina y de esas para volver a leer.
March 10, 2020
I do not usually read translated books, but this one caught my eye. The story is told through the perspective of many characters. There is a lot of science and introspection. I was hoping for there to be more emphasis on the vulgar speaking bird, but it was just a passing fad.
May 7, 2021
رواية جميلة فيها جانب نفسي كبير.. أراء لفرويد واقتباسات.. اندمجت بالقراءة و أحببت الترجمة، استشعرت نعمة النطق، البلع، تذوق الطعام والاستمتاع فيه.. ترك لنا الكاتب توقع النهايات..ماقدرت افسر تصرف اليديا في آخر مشهد من الرواية .. قراءة ممتعة للجميع
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