Neal's Yard Natural Remedies Book

“Heartbreak Tango” Manuel Puig. 11/11/12:

Elevated now to classic status, the book is an indispensable source of inspiration to me. The novel’s form is like no other—it's an exhilarating experiment done exactly right. Cannot be recommended by me enough times—READ IT!

This was my previous review (11/18/11):

Manuel Puig: I immediately place him above Garcia Marquez and Bolaño. No, really. He insists on writing love stories in the least-possibly direct way, which is certainly a gust of fresh air to all of modern lit. Through the use of love letters, one-sided conversations, seemingly-useless lists, mere brush-stroke observations of now-vintage minutiae, conversations with parenteticals attached (what the characters are REALLY thinking!), church confessions, police reports, news items… with everything unconventional and radiant and truly intelligent… the man understands how to evade the syrup of romance while still retaining it in a drastically-different form: encapsulated within objects of the everyday… & crystallized there FOR ALL TIME. I LOVE this book almost as much as his “Spider Woman,” it having similar themes/poetics (non-linearity, off-stage violence and romance, good people acting badly and, inversely, bad people doing good…) and giving the reader an experience that’s a truly genuine one. One simply cannot ask for more.

Of course it was added to the 1001 List in 2010, and this gives much cause to rejoice… lost treasure has undoubtedly been (re)found. The romance is palpable, incredible, and the sadness of the piece will stay with you long after… far longer than any of Hollywood’s fake and gilded turds. If any of the Latin American writers deserve your priceless reading time and attention, (it is my intuition as a romantic & lover of all lit.) to say that it is most definitely Puig.