Thursday, February 4, 2016

The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli, Christina MacSweeney

The Story of My Teeth
by Valeria Luiselli, Christina MacSweeney

Original Title: Historia de mis dientes

Find out more about this book and author:
Powells
Goodreads

Published: 2015
Publisher: Coffee House Press
Genre: Literary, South America
Paperback: 184 pages
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
I'm the best auctioneer in the world, but no one knows it because I'm a discreet sort of man.

I was born in Pachuca, the Beautiful Windy City, with four premature teeth and my body completely covered in a very fine coat of fuzz. But I'm grateful for that inauspicious start because ugliness, as my other uncle, Eurípides López Sánchez, was given to saying, is character forming.

Highway is a late-in-life world traveler, yarn spinner, collector, and legendary auctioneer. His most precious possessions are the teeth of the "notorious infamous" like Plato, Petrarch, and Virginia Woolf.

Written in collaboration with the workers at a Jumex juice factory, Teeth is an elegant, witty, exhilarating romp through the industrial suburbs of Mexico City and Luiselli's own literary influences.


My two-bits:

The first half of this story is told from one point of view and then another point of view in the second half that makes an interesting twist.

Lots of info on teeth and owners of teeth. Interesting how teeth could be made sooo interesting and made into an engaging topic.

~*~

Tournament of Books short list nominee (details)

 
Imagination Designs
Images from: Lovelytocu