I'm thinking we need to figure out some sort of game plan for this, like a schedule and whatnot. What I thought was maybe we'd just put our working ideas up as we go along (particularly for a longer book like this), and then maybe also have a set time to "talk about our feelings" via chat. Also if someone starts a post that you care to add to or comment on, well, do so.

I just finished part one today and am a few pages into part two, and without giving anything away (if you're not there yet), I think it's rather interesting to look at the way Bolaño has chosen to portray his female characters in the book. I started off thinking I didn't really like Norton but then I realized we almost never see anything about her except as interpreted through the eyes of Espinoza or Pelletier. And yeah, these guys are in love with her so it should be somewhat favorable, but it is a pretty flat perspective and arguably has nothing to do with who she is on her own. I don't think we have too complete a picture of the other characters, either, but since we're with them more and hear more about their feelings regarding Liz and life in general, it seems almost as if it's their choice to withhold or only reveal certain aspects of their lives. I would also suggest that though their character development is slightly limited, that may be due to the fact that their lives in fact are fairly limited to their devotion to Archimboldi and someone else who they are deeply in love with and won't here be named in case you're not there yet. The book leaves me feeling as if there's more to Norton's story than is being expressed, and I don't much feel that's the case for the two doofuses who only care about the woman of their dreams and some dead German guy.

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out where Bolaño is going with all this because I expected with a theme like the mass murders of women, the book would have some strong female characters - or at least ones that we don't hear about through the thoughts of the men who love them, which is the case not only of Norton but as well of a Mexican girl named Rebeca and Amalfitano's ex-wife and daughter (who to be fair I've only recently met and maybe I'll be eating my words a couple chapters on). This is not a run-on sentence at all.