Seven Ways to Kill a Cat by Matias Nespolo
As tense as a thriller, as vivid as an undercover documentary, Matias Nespolo's bold and brilliant first novel takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride through a place of crime and deprivation. Set in Buenos Aires at the time of Argentina's financial crash, and seen through the eyes of twenty-year-old Gringo, it tells the story of two boys on the cusp of adulthood who have no choice but to join the gang warfare that rules their community. At least, Gringo's friend Chueco thinks they have no choice. He's determined to prove himself hard enough to get into El Jetita's gang, but smart enough to remain his own man. Gringo is more intelligent. He knows that gangs don't work like that: you obey the leader or else. As the two get drawn ever deeper into a pitched battle between El Jetita and his rival Charly over control of the barrio's drugs and prostitution, Gringo sees a life of love and loss pass before his eyes. A few days before, he was joking with Chueco about killing cats. Now, he's fighting to save his skin. Written in the street-slang of the slums, and full of fantastic characters from the sympathetic Gringo to the ruthless gang leader El Jetita or the grotesque bar owner Fat Farías, this is one of those novels that is about one place and every place. While its depiction of Buenos Aires rings vibrantly true in every detail, the barrio could be any place of urban deprivation where young men are pushed into a violence that, ultimately, will destroy them.
"Néspolo's novel bears comparison with such masters of description of life in the slums as Alexander Baron and Nelson Algren..An excellent adventure story that also documents urban poverty and violence, with faultless dialogue and at breathtaking pace" * Independent *
"First-rate...7 Ways to Kill a Cat is a debut pervaded by a grim rather than magic realism, and the better for it" * TLS *
"A brilliant debut" * Javier Cercas *
"A story as forceful as a bullet. It leaves you breathless. High voltage literature" * El Mundo *
"A startlingly strong debut... Tarantino-style fast editing, black humour and sicko-hilarious gun-toting slapstick... This is a brilliant debut and as fast a read as any graphic novel you'll come across - but with a lot more style and drama." -- Chris Moss * Time Out *
"First-rate...7 Ways to Kill a Cat is a debut pervaded by a grim rather than magic realism, and the better for it" * TLS *
"A brilliant debut" * Javier Cercas *
"A story as forceful as a bullet. It leaves you breathless. High voltage literature" * El Mundo *
"A startlingly strong debut... Tarantino-style fast editing, black humour and sicko-hilarious gun-toting slapstick... This is a brilliant debut and as fast a read as any graphic novel you'll come across - but with a lot more style and drama." -- Chris Moss * Time Out *
Born in Buenos Aires in 1975, Matías Néspolo studied literature, going on to write poems, short stories, journalism and then Seven Ways to Kill a Cat, his acclaimed first novel. He has been living in Barcelona since 2001 and, in 2010, was selected by Granta as one of their best young contemporary Spanish-language novelists.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781846554506 |
| ISBN 10 | 1846554500 |
| Title | Seven Ways to Kill a Cat |
| Author | Matias Nespolo |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2011-11-03 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |