Colombian Gangsters Machete, While Philosophizing

Sergio de la Pava, the author, won the PEN prize for his first short-fiction collection, A Naked Singularity: this prize is only given to first-timers. He has tended to self-publish books, before they were positively reviewed, and then published by bigger presses. It has been 6 years since his previous release. But he’s been busy working as a Manhattan public defender, which explains the legal bend to his novels.
“…An existential detective novel about a private investigator who flees New York City for Colombia after a personal tragedy and finds himself entangled in a young woman’s strange disappearance—which may be connected to one of the world’s most ruthless criminal organizations.” The term “existential” apparently refers to the pondering about “Nothing” in the opening page: a “to be or not to be” questioning. Though a problem that I notice right away is that the narrator refers to his “sister Genevieve” before explaining who he is, or who she is. This is generally a distraction for the reader, who is forced to digress from the subject at hand to imagine a distant character, who is not relevant to the plotline. The next paragraph mentions “Jane”, who is begged for forgiveness, without explaining just who this “Jane” is. On the next page, the mention of “authorized machine guns unsettles”: this at least gets the story rolling in a dramatic direction. There is also a conflict with Colombia refusing to let him in. But there’s no clear explanation about why there is a problem, before he’s off to the hotel.
“Riv—poet, philosopher, private eye—arrives in Cali, Colombia, hoping to find reprieve. Running away from an unspeakable event surrounding his ex Jane…” after the cursory mention in the opening paragraphs, Jane is next mentioned in “7th Entry”, with the explanation that she had moved in a couple of years earlier, but this relationship was interrupted with the task of purchasing a “lampshade”—the point seems to be to avoid revealing just what the “unspeakable event relating to Jane was, but instead of building anticipation in readers, this avoidance of getting to the point and instead talking about trivialities makes it very difficult to get interested in this story or characters—“…Riv accidentally connects with his cousin Mauro and family friend Carlotta, who asks him to find her daughter Angelica Alfa-Ochoa.” A search for this name led to the explanation that she is a “gringa”. A few concrete details about her family and her follow: unusual in this bunch of novels, where in most cases no biographies are built for characters. The mother also says that she wants to know if her daughter is dead, so she can have “certitude”. The mother gives a photograph, but then the conversation shifts to the police not doing anything (this is relevant because the narrator warns the mother she is going to have to give her money, so he can bribe the officers… seemingly to do the investigating for him, which they otherwise have refused to do just for their salaries), instead of the practical questions of how this guy from a different country can possibly find this girl without knowing who her friends etc. are, or where she went, and other practical matters, which are skipped over. The next chapter does pick up on asking questions about her boyfriend, or friend, and the like. This is a reasonably coherent thriller where some investigating is getting done.
“…No sooner is Riv on the trail when it becomes clear that not only are the cops not looking for Angelica, but they are actively preventing him from finding her. This could be a good thing because the police are clearly in the pocket of one Exeter Mondragon, a name best never uttered in public if one wants to stay alive.” His initial instinct is to advise the mother to drop the case, since “Mondragon!” is involved. “But Riv is not one to leave things incomplete. When his investigation leads him straight into the heart of Mondragon’s criminal empire, he is forced not only to face unimaginable horrors, but also to plunge into the deepest and most perplexing conundrums of the human condition.” To check for just what kind of horrors are in this book, I searched for a few gory terms and found some occurrences of “blood”. In the middle of this book, somebody raises a complaint. In response a guy takes out a machete and walks up to a group of tourists, who start “screaming and crying”, and run off from the threat, as the complainer remains to face the machete-wielding lunatic. He grabs the tourist by the neck and restricts his ability to speak. Then, he wrestles him to the ground, pins his wrist, and: “drives his machete through the palm and into the earth like he’s staking a tent…” The tourist screams, and then the guy “wipes the tourist’s blood off his lips…” Then, the smarty narrator nonchalantly chats with this lunatic, who tells him to “shut up”, instead of just macheting him: obviously that would have ended the novel mid-action, so that couldn’t happen. They philosophize about silence and life, as if they are at a book-club. I don’t think this is a good way to handle brutal murdering gangsters. I’m not sure if there is a “right” way to handle such content. But describing pointless violence, and not explaining how these guys get away with it (Nobody calls the police? Why not? Have they threatened everybody at the scene individually? Have they bribed the police? How exactly?), and other larger themes is kind of just violence-for-violence’s sake. The point might be to explain that a character is prone to pointless violence. But then this should have been clarified. If this guy can philosophize about the meaning of life right after a murder, it seems that he’s too reflective to have killed without a thought-through motive.
The blurb claims that this novel is “lightning fast on the page”: yes, this is true. The story does rush forward. However, it takes too many steps in random directions for a reader to latch onto the story to get through reading this novel in a sitting. Though it is good that the narrator stops to discuss “large philosophical questions while keeping you laughing.” Though some of these thoughts are strangely mixed with all the violence. For example, there are some references to God, as the reason for humanity being on Earth. In one passage, a speaker discusses God’s Ten Commandments and “his chosen people”. Followed by the confession that the speaker has previously “killed God.” But this is a metaphorical claim, as this killer imagines his actions are divinely sanctioned, as the “universe” is meant to flood. The investigator escapes from this cyclical argument by saying: “Okay. Can I see Angelica now?...” This is an absurd juxtaposition between philosophy and the point, especially since there is no clear answer to this direct request.
This might be a fun read for those interested in Colombian gangster stories, as well as philosophy. I couldn’t get into this narrative, and can’t imagine reading this novel further. And I suspect that the title is illogical: a radian is a unit of measurement, so an arc doesn’t bend towards a radian, but rather at a radian… And the cover for this book is just poorly designed, it’s almost painful to look at these curves, and the bright background.
—Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Fall 2024: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-fall-2024

I can see why Every Arc Bends Its Radian has been described as ambitious and experimental. The author clearly strives to push boundaries and explore thought-provoking conversations and philosophical ideas. However, I feel this approach came at the expense of fully developing the characters and plot.

While I always appreciate an author willing to take risks, I found it difficult to connect with this book. For such a short read, it took longer than expected for the story to pick up momentum. The last third or quarter of the book was where things became more engaging, but by then, it felt like too little, too late for me to feel fully invested.

That said, I respect de la Pava’s willingness to take creative chances, and I believe many readers may find new perspectives and ideas here. While this book wasn’t for me, I would still be open to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this eGalley.

This book makes it official... Sergio de la Pava is an auto-buy author for me, and *Every Arc Bends Its Radian* didn’t disappoint. *A Naked Singularity* is one of my all-time favorites, and this novel held its own with its mix of philosophical depth, biting humor, and keen observations on humanity. De la Pava masterfully weaves complex ideas with an engaging narrative that feels both profound and playful. The ending—what a twist! Highly recommend for readers who crave stories that challenge them to think, laugh, and reflect deeply on the world around them.

The mental life. That’s where true suffering is. The body is nothing in comparison. p20

Every Arc Bends Its Radian is a clearly experimental novel. It reads as though the author's primary goal was to execute this experiment, not write a cohesive story or develop realistic characters. Spatial fiction does this also, but this book is not that. I like experimental fiction, but I did not like this. The text really struggles with itself, since the author is trying to make it do so many things at once.

I recommend this book to readers who appreciate experimental fiction and nontraditional narrative forms, and those who are already familiar with the philosophy concepts at hand, such as graduate students in philosophy. Critics call this a smart book, and it might be, if you can tease everything out of it. I wish you luck with that.

“Close your eyes and count to death.” p153

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. De La Pava gives the perfect character details, where we learn in only a few lines, not only where the MC comes from last, but also his attitude about the place. —¿ I guess I’m like a poet/ philosopher/ private eye? —¿ Is that a good job in the States? —It’s a weird country. p20 This is smart, efficient writing. I hope it persists. *edit It doesn't. Things get snaky and hard to follow.

2. The form the dialogue takes in this book is unusual, but I think it removes certain ambiguities that characterize accepted rules for dialog formatting.

3. This narrator definitely values work and earning. Even expresses this sentiment: Rooting around a dead woman’s room, what a way to make a living. The only thing worse is not making one. p22

4. I think this book makes an interesting point about human consciousness. —Maybe, Riv, life just cannot be squarely confronted sometimes. ¿You ever think of that? —Often. —And maybe we can never really know what’s happening in the mind of another. Those are hidden universes within our visible one and there’s no possibility of passage.... p120

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. The narrator says things like this, and I'm never sure if he's being inflammatory or playing word games. —...¿ Is it because I’m a woman? ¿Are you a sexist? —Yes, I’m a sexist. I believe the female sex is superior. p23 After all, putting anyone on a pedestal dehumanizes them. A man thinking women are superior is just another form of sexism.

2. Some of this material is nonsensical, like the title, which seems erudite but betrays a not-so-erudite understanding of the geometric concepts it names. A "radian" is a unit of measurement, like "inch" or "ounce." They are nouns, but not concrete objects. How can they be bent, exactly?

3. I like experimental fiction, but I feel like this book is experimenting with too many different elements, which affects the comprehensibility of the story and characters.

4. This book gives vibes of Junot Diaz's The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, but I think Oscar Wao is cleaner. Even though the form and diction are experimental and there is quite a lot of Spanish, Oscar Wao can still be easily read and understood, even for readers who don't speak Spanish. This book tries to use the same affect, as it contains many passages in Spanish, but I don't think it achieves the same potent effect.

5. I despise the inclusion of philosophical concepts into the text and form. Yes it's erudite, and it's also completely inaccessible.

6. This is the sort of book that makes the reader feel stupid, mostly because it writes down to the audience while also keeping the reader from connecting with its overly erudite elements. I wonder if De La Pava meant to confuse his readers, to alienate them? He achieves this, regardless of his intentions.

7. The torture scene is long and terribly detailed, but the part of it I really didn't like was that the torturer and the victim held an academic discussion about philosophy and God. To me this felt inauthentic, or at worst, disingenuous.

8. The book is clearly cross genre, but I think its sci-fi elements draw the most attention.

Rating: 🪢🪢 /5 very convoluted plots
Recommend? No
Finished: Nov 14 '24
Format: Digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
👤 philosophy
💬 erudite dialog
🖤 literary horror
🗨 jargon/dialect

Thank you to the author Sergio De La Pava, publishers Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of EVERY ARC BENDS ITS RADIAN. All views are mine.

Riv del Rio didn't travel to Colombia looking for a new case; rather, the poet/detective was seeking reprieve after a tragedy involving the woman he loves. But a case falls in his lap via a family friend. Carlotta Ochoa's daughter, Angelica Alfa, has vanished. As Riv and his cousins explore the missing persons case further, they discover an unpleasant truth: the powerful Exeter Mondragon is pulling the strings, preventing her investigation from being pursued. But Riv won't give up, even when all signs point to the brilliant young woman already being dead.

The further Riv digs, though, the more unsettling things he finds. Angelica possesses a phenomenal, practically incomprehensible, level of intelligence. Her father was involved in some bizarre business ventures of his own. And when Riv finally comes face to face with Mondragon himself, the situation explodes into a crisis far beyond a single missing person. What the detective now faces involves the nature—and the future—of existence itself.

Every Arc Bends Its Radian is a peculiar book, and that's a compliment. It begins as a somewhat philosophical detective story before going completely off the rails in its second half. The whodunnit (and the "why," although that's a far denser topic) is addressed by the end, but the mystery is a means to an end. This book courts ideas of faith, what it means to be human, and what role our ever-advancing technology plays in our evolution. If I have a complaint, it's that indications of speakers in long conversations are rare. This isn't an issue when Riv and a second character are debating back and forth, since there are only two players and their personalities speak for themselves. But in early chapters, when Riv is in conversation with both of his cousins and they are of similar minds, it becomes difficult to follow the thread of conversation. That aside, this is a surprising and challenging book that will thwart some readers while intriguing others. Personally, I'm in the second camp.

This was simply not for me. I didnt like the writing or characters and just did not vibe with anything.

I gave *Every Arc Bends Its Radian* by Sergio De La Pava my best effort, but it just isn’t resonating with me. I’m struggling with the prose, which feels disconnected and a bit stilted, leaving the narrative feeling scattered. Instead of feeling drawn into the story, I’m left feeling like I’m reading words without experiencing a cohesive journey. It could be that something was lost in translation, or maybe it’s simply a mismatch for my tastes. I really wanted to love the premise and the story, and I hope other readers connect with it more. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for the Advance Reader’s Copy.

I tried. Honestly, I tried but this just wasn't for me. It's described as an existential detective novel but I don't even know what that means. This lost me early one. I'm sure there's a plot but it's all over the place. I gave up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others who enjoy experimental literary fiction.

"“So two more questions, now you’re full of them. Okay, the how. The unaided human body requires that the air it breathes consist of about twenty percent oxygen. Have you ever wondered how it’s possible to productively breathe in a sub that’s close to seven miles deep into the ocean?” “No.” “You all kill me. You just take it on faith. What happens is the limitless seawater that surrounds us is put through a process called electrolysis that produces oxygen. As you can imagine, something like the oxygen saturation levels of the various compartments of this craft is closely monitored and controlled. Anything that is controlled can be manipulated.” “You asphyxiated everyone.” “You say that like I did something shameful. These were murderers.”"

There are two parts to this book that are totally different genres. First is a typical "I'm an American PI trying to help this Colombian mom to find her daughter kidnapped by mob family of the region", and second is "Welcome to sci-fi realm". And the transition between these two parts are more abrupt than you except it to be.

Riv's wife died. They said it was a suicide. He ran from himself and NY and found his way to Colombia. A mother asked for his help. Her extremely smart daughter was missing. When Riv started to ask around, he realized that a mob family who had everyone in their palms kidnapped her. There was not much of hope for her. Or was there?

I went into this one with an open mind, and I feel I tried really hard to enjoy this, but I just couldn't. Is the issue that it was translated, and the translation couldn't match the original? I have no idea. All I know is that I had to work really hard to even half understand what the hell was going on and what was being said. It wasn't a pleasant journey for me. The last third of the book switched gears, becoming a type of sit-around-the-campfire drunken college discussion about humanity and our reason to be. Hmmmm.

This just didn't work for me.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

It's never a good idea to sell your product to your consumer by making them feel less intelligent.

The book reminded me of the secong Matrix movie, not in story but taking a people friendly material and "talking down" to us via Philosophy.

Thismay be due to the translation the book has gone through, but the recurring thought was "Nobody speaks like this".
The story is not bad but there are several plotholes.

In short. I would try this author again, but not without assurances from readers I trust that the mistakes here have been corrected in the next work

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this novel about a detective who has come to a city to hide himself, but finds himself looking for a missing girl and vying with a person whose name is never never uttered, though his power spreads far and wide.

I used to love mysteries, and still will read some, but they have to be of a certain type. I still like early stories of knights errant walking down lonely streets, but most modern stories do nothing for me. Police procedurals might as well be science fiction or fantasy for the effort put into solving crimes does not seem to happen at all in the real world. Cozy mysteries are odd too me. Many have cute people solving murders while trading recipes or knitting tips. And private detective stories are in a rut, a rut that seems to be growing. I like stories set in places I am unfamiliar with, with writing that is not concerned with whodunit, rather that whydunnit. Mysteries about humans, and why they do the things they do, either going forward to find answers, creating questions that need to be solved, or even how the go on when things fall away. A story like this one. Every Arc Bends Its Radian by Sergio de la Pava is a story about a man running away, looking for a missing girl, in a city that doesn't care, overseen by a character whose power is so strong, people pretend he doesn't exist.

Riv del Rio has come to Cali, Colombia, a country familiar to him, running maybe, escaping more likely, from his family and and his actions in the United States. Confused trying to enter the country, Riv calls on his cousin for help, which gets him involved in more problems. Riv has been a poet, in a few magazines, a philosopher two semesters short of a degree and a private detective, good at taking photos of guilty men leaving motels. A rich matron, a friend to the family wants Riv to look for her daughter, a good girl who has gone missing. Riv takes the case, but finds that he seems to be the only one interested in finding the missing girl. The police seem to be doing everything they can to make Riv give up the case. The more Riv looks into things the more he finds that that missing girl is tied into a a powerful person, one who no likes to talk of, as it might make bad things happen. Riv feels a promise is a promise, and continues to investigate, even if the ultmate cost is death, or even rebirth.

A novel that changes style halfway through, and with plenty of twists, and ideas, a lot of them weird, different, and yet compulsively readable. Imagine a book written by French author Patrick Modiano, for distance and sadness, edited by Clive Barker for horror, with Italian director Dario Argento adding style and brash storytelling. I enjoyed this story, though I must say it is not for everyone. There is a lot of history, a lot of metaphysical thinking, a lot of violence, and implied violence, and a lot of questions about reality. de la Pava is a very good writer, able to make characters seem real, even if they think they are. The story is strong, and rough, and yet funny in places one doesn't expect and can turn on a dime. Riv goes through a lot though he feels he might deserve it. A thoughtful, unsettling, really thrilling kind of story, one that stays with the reader.

I liked this a lot, and even a few days later am still thinking about certain moments. That's a good and bad thing as some of it is rather disturbing. I look forward to more books by Sergio de la Pava.

A fever dream. A fast moving calamity. De La Pava presents Riv- a self proclaimed poet, philosopher and private eye who flees to Cali, Colombia, He claims that his flight is random but he connects with family and is brought to a family friend to find her daughter ( Angelica Alfa-Ochoa.)

The story becomes heated, complicated and sometimes confusing as Riv fights against the tide of police and other nefarious forces (a man who should not be named). There are beautiful Spanish phrases as well as off the cuff sporadic commentary beating like rap in the background. Join Riv as he learns that he cannot flee himself as searches for Angelica, his own salvation and human puprose
#simonandschuster #sergiodelapava #everyarcbendsitsradian

You know those stereotypical bad guys with huge vocabularies who use big words ALL the time, even when smaller words would actually be more correct? Well, now imagine that almost every character in the novel, including the narrator, talks like that, all the time. Now sprinkle in lots of vague wool-gathering segments with even bigger words that make less sense, and may not actually work in English. *sigh*
I am hoping that the original text of this book is better, because the English translation was really bad. No one in real life talks like that. The dialogue between some of the rougher characters was less bad, but I live in a highly Hispanic part of the US, and no one I know with a more Spanish influenced urban speech style talks like the characters that seem to be aiming that way, either. So, if you can read Spanish, maybe try the original, because until a master translator takes on this project, this one is tough.
Also, this is not a mystery novel. It has a sort of mystery plot, but is more of a literary horror novel. Seriously, the more hardcore bits with Mr. Mondragon's lair are horror genre, and this section goes on way too long to shelve this book in the mystery genre section. It may be horror-light, but it is horror.
All that said, I did actually finish this book. and not just because it is mercifully short. So, maybe a better translation of this book can happen eventually so readers who are not already fans can experience this book in a more satisfying form.

I genuinely feel like I lacked the intelligence and philosophical capacity to understand this book.

Writing a review for it would be a disservice and insult to the author because I don’t understand fully what I just read.

I’m sure this was a good book, it just wasn’t fluid for me.
Nothing was laid out as in actually explained in a coherent way. Just a bunch of concepts and sciencey jargon. It’s like one thing was said, but meant to be interpreted differently. And the whole book is like that.

Also I don’t speak fluent Spanish and there are plenty of quotes or ramblings without translation.

Eh.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC
2 ⭐️