Memories of my melancholy whores - Gabreil Garcia Marqez

Marquez is simply the best. This is the second book I am reading. The first one was the macondo story – One Hundred Years of Solitude. That was quite a read. Had to go back to the family tree given in the beginning so as not to relate the name with different person. Reading took some effort. But I don’t regret. Read Marquez and you will know what makes Nobel laureates Nobel laureates and Booker laureates Booker laureates. I won’t even attempt to draw parallels between Marquez with Salman Rushdie or Arundhati Roy, though I admire the other authors also. Marquez is simply unbeatable.

The book is about a 90 year old chronic bachelor who wants to celebrate his 90th birthday with an adolescent virgin. His special birthday gift to himself becomes an obsession and later the love of his life at the last hours of his life. Having with lots of women, the protagonist takes pride in the fact that he had always paid all of them. Even when they did out of love, he had forced them to take money.

Once he was to marry one of the most eligible ladies of the town. But on the very day of marriage he succumbed to his horror to commit and didn’t turn p in the church.

After all this, it is only at the age of 9 that he finds this girl. He never talks to the girl. For that matter he can’t even recognize her in the day light. And the funniest part is that he doesn't even sleep with her in the literal sense. Still he realizes she is the love of his life.

The story is all about his concerns about the 15 year old, his obssessions and his longing for her. This is one of the best books I have come across.

Next time you pass by a book shop, just drop in and pick up this book. I can guarantee you won’t be wasting your money.