(Reviewed by JD Jung)
Originally published in Spanish in 1940, Morel’s Invention by Adolfo Bioy Casares is a short literary classic that kept me guessing until the end.
Our narrator, a man from Caracas, Venezuela, has been sentenced to life in prison for a crime he insists he didn’t commit. After escaping, he takes refuge on a deserted island, hiding in abandoned buildings and surviving by fishing and hunting. His solitude is interrupted when a group of tourists arrives. Fearing discovery and a return to prison, he remains hidden, observing them from a distance.
Among them is a beautiful woman, Faustine, with whom he falls in love with, though he has never spoken to her. As he watches her, he wonders whether she is in love with another man, Morel. Determined to uncover the truth, he becomes increasingly curious about the group, even as he struggles with an impossible choice: risk revealing himself to Faustine, living the rest of his life in solitude, or facing the consequences of being discovered.
But what he eventually discovers is far more extraordinary than he could have imagined.
I don’t want to give anything away because the unfolding mystery is part of what makes this book so fascinating. While enjoying the delectable translated prose, I thought I had the story figured out. In reality, I wasn’t even close!
Blending literary fiction, mystery, and elements of science fiction, Morel’s Invention explores isolation, obsession, and the nature of reality in a way that feels remarkably imaginative.
If you enjoy short literary classics that challenge your expectations and take you somewhere unexpected, this one is well worth your time.