Mexican author Valeria Luiselli’s novel, translated by Christina MacSweeney, is interesting and singular; it bristles with references to philosophy and literature, from Tacitus to Baudrillard via Montaigne and GK Chesterton. It is quirky, funny even, and highly structured, consisting of short sections that correspond to the protagonist’s absurd theory of auctioneering. He is Gustavo “Highway” Sánchez, a man full of bravado and braggadocio who, having trained as an auctioneer, proceeds to sell the most unlikely items by spinning irresistible fictions about their provenance. His most audacious act is to sell off his own teeth, which he has had replaced with a set that purportedly once belonged to Marilyn Monroe, the value of each tooth crazily inflated thanks to his stories about them. Luiselli wrote the book after being invited by the Galería Jumex in Mexico City to contribute to a catalogue for a modern-art show (Jumex is a Mexican juice brand whose owner was inspired by the Saatchi Gallery to start his own collection). In this context, Luiselli’s unstintingly imaginative tale perhaps works as a parable for the way works accrue value in the art world.
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