Stranger to the Moon (2021) by Evelio Rosero

Book Review

Stranger to the Moon (2021)

by Evelio Rosero

    Stranger to the Moon is another bizarre Spanish language translation that has made it to American bookstores. Evelio Rosero is a well known and prolific (18 novels published in his native Spanish) Colombian author- he also writes poetry and children's books.  Stranger to the Moon is a disturbing allegory that recalls (in the words of the publisher New Directions, "Both Kafka and De Sade." I would add Italo Calvino to that list.   The world of Stranger to the Moon is contained inside one house where "the naked" live in a state of abject degradation, naked, with no access to the outside world- or with such access so limited that to go outside is to court death, they are occasionally visited by "the clothed" who abuse them sexually and otherwise serve as their captors and tormentors.   Stranger to the Moon is quite clearly an allegory, though what, exactly, is the subject or topic of that allegory seems to be up for grabs.  

  At 96 pages, Stranger to the Moon won't keep you waiting around for an ending, basically you get the set up, one thing happens, and the book is over.  It makes sense for a book that is set entirely inside a single "house" but it reads more like a short story or novella than a novel.