Not a River

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Set in rural Argentina, "Not a River" explores the cruelty and violence of the male universe through the secret pacts and alliances among men. January and Negro take Tilo, the teenage son of their deceased friend Eusebio, fishing. As they drink, cook, talk, and dance, they grapple with the ghosts of the past and present, which blur together in the haze of wine and heat. A web intertwines reality and dreams, facts and conjectures, with elements of island life, water, night, fire, fish, and insects. This novel flows like a river, embodying a long conversation or the affection between loved ones: mothers, sons, brothers, lovers, and godchildren. With "Not a River," Selva Almada completes her trilogy on men, which began with "The Wind That Sweeps" and was followed by "Brickmakers." In this masterful novel, her distinctive narrative style and extraordinary sensitivity allow characters to express what lies deep within their souls, far from their own lives.