Book review by Corey
2666
2666 is a huge, strange novel made up of five connected parts that circle around the fictional Mexican city of Santa Teresa. It moves through literary critics, professors, journalists, murder investigations, and the mysterious writer Benno von Archimboldi, with the city and its violence slowly becoming the centre of everything.
The book can feel fragmented at first, but the separate pieces build into something much bigger about obsession, violence, art, history, and the way people try to make sense of horror. It is demanding and often bleak, especially in the section focused on the murdered women, but the writing is so controlled and ambitious that the size of the book ends up feeling earned rather than excessive.
The Goods
- Huge sense of ambition
- Excellent writing
- Memorable atmosphere
- Strong themes about violence and obsession
- The separate stories connect in interesting ways
The Bads
- Very long
- Some sections move slowly
- The structure can feel disconnected
- The violence is difficult to read
- Not an easy or casual book
My Recommendation
This is probably best for readers who enjoy big literary novels that ask for patience and attention. 2666 is dark, complicated, and sometimes exhausting, but it is also one of those books that feels much larger than its individual storylines. If you like novels that mix mystery, history, literary fiction, and uncomfortable subject matter without giving you simple answers, there is a lot here to appreciate.