“This mesmerizing collection of stories and essays unfolds in Bolano’s floating style, which always seems simultaneously to be about everything and nothing. There are no grand pronouncements here, no tidy, utopian views of life; chaos rules and egos run unbound in these vibrant, gritty and elegant stories. The two essays at the end are poignant, particularly “Literature + Illness = Illness,” which explores the relationship between writing and the liver disease which claimed Bolano’s life at 50. His legacy is a reminder that in art, as in life, easy answers are seldom found.”—Kate, Ravenna Third Place, Seattle