Reading The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa made me realize what I want to become when I grow up! Someone the creates and sells new pasts for people. Like the main character of the story Félix Ventura. He is an Angolan albino that generates his income by creating the right background and lineage for his clients. In between he converses with the narrator of the story a gecko living on his wall. Some reviews says the gecko is a reincarnation of Jorge Luis Borges which I didn’t quite get since I have never read anything by Borges. Maybe about time I do.
The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa
The book is quite well written and enjoyable. It tells the story of Félix, his latest sweetheart, and one of his clients. I assumed for the longest time that I was reading one of those books that didn’t really have a proper plot but rather just told the story of the character’s lives. I was therefore quite surprised when in the end it all came together in a plot. The best part about the book however was that it was different and original.
The title is quite odd at first and you might think it is a confusion as the story just features a gecko. My theory is however that the chameleon reference is to the people that come to Félix to disguise their pasts.
I give the book a strong 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.
And here is the exercise for the day, try rewriting your past and family history. What would you change? I am thinking I would spice mine up with some world travelers, hidden relatives, and questionable characters…
