My Favourite Game: A Book Review of Julio Cortázars' Hopscotch

because i'm super proud of this, however awkward some of the transitions may be.


--- Every chapter is akin to a snapshot in Julio Cortázars’ novel Hopscotch – it shows us what is going on, but nothing more and nothing less. Cortázar is the brilliant photographer and we, the readers, have to deduct the meaning behind each photo. He connects and intertwines different memories, different insights, different revelations, allowing us to take it the way we feel. That’s the beauty of Hopscotch: each memory stands alone, enabling the novel to be read in any way desired. One can read it in the standard linear fashion, from chapter 1 to chapter 56, it can be read the way prescribed in the Table of Instructions, or one can literally “hopscotch” throughout the novel. The novel is separated into two parts: From the Other Side, which consists of the first 56 chapters, and From Diverse Sides, which has the remaining 99 chapters.
--- Hopscotch is not a novel with a definite plot, but in fact, is a novel about a life – it is a fictional biography of a man who is defined by his failures, and of the woman whom he loves. It follows an Argentinean expatriate, Horacio Oliveira, and his exquisite mistress, La Maga, in Paris. Though Oliveira may seem to embody the cliché bohemian, he only wishes he can attain that status. His knowledge, his depth, and his understanding of the world cannot help him figure out one of the greatest challenges a human has to face – the discovery of oneself. Despite the fact that he is easily the most intelligent out of his group of bohemian friends, known as “the Club,” he still sees himself as a failure. And then there is La Maga… She isn’t as smart as all of the intellectuals of the Club, but her simplicity and how she is comfortable in her own skin captures the attention of Oliveira. Their romance is whole, consuming, and unfortunately, ephemeral – La Maga simply vanishes from Oliveira’s life after her son, Rocamadour, dies. Her disappearance causes Oliveira to realize the integral role she plays in his life, prompting him to go find her.
--- When I think back to parts of the book, I remember them with this smoke-induced haze created not only by the incessant smoking done by the members of the Club, but also by Cortázars’ rich and luminous prose. His utilization of metaphors, slang, and different languages is effortless, and feels natural. His prose is written so well that it envelops you, creating this almost impenetrable bubble, allowing complete submersion into Hopscotch.
--- Most books are journeys; they are escapes to generally unknown worlds with a beginning, a middle, and an end. However, there is normally only one way to reach that ending, and it’s the way the author tells you to. But life is not like that: we make our own decisions, we pave our own paths – and Hopscotch is comparable to that. Hopscotch has a beginning and an end, but no middle. We, the readers, have to make our way through the beautiful forests of Cortázars’ writing to reach the ambiguously wonderful end. What intrigued me the most about Hopscotch, initially, was the ability to read it in any fashion. It is analogous to the “create your own ending” type of books, except there is only one ending that we can perceive in either one of two ways.
--- Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet, once said “anyone who doesn’t read Cortázar is doomed. Not to read him is a serious invisible disease which in time can have terrible consequences,” and I must say I agree… to an extent. I don’t think anyone who doesn’t read Cortázar is doomed, per se. I do feel, however, that they are definitely missing out on such an eloquent author. Cortázars’ writing is truly beautiful; it takes you to another time, another place, another world. It’s a whirlwind of emotions, of feelings, and of sensations similar to life. Hopscotch is Cortázars’ masterpiece, and a vital read. I can assure you that you have never read a book like Hopscotch before, and I can also assure you that you will enjoy this read.

whoever wasted time reading this should totes tell me what they thought... :)