Translated by Natasha Wimmer What is the difference between an immigrant, someone living in exile, and a refugee? False War is an extraordinary novel by Carlos Manuel Álvarez, the leading Cuban writer of his generation. The characters in False War are castaways on dry land, stranded on no man's land. Some of them want to leave Cuba and can't, others left and never quite finished getting anywhere. They live in a sort of limbo, a perpetual impasse between reality and desire, past and future, country of origin and country of destination - awaiting a confirmation or, purely and simply, some respite. Something to keep reminding them that life is possible. What is the difference between an immigrant, someone living in exile, and a refugee? Doomed to chaos, anguish or tedium, the perennially displaced are beleaguered by a world that - in that simulation of advancement towards the illusion of a consumer society - reminds them that there is no place for them at every turn. In this choral novel, the characters appear to move between Cuba, the United States, Mexico, France or Germany with confidence, while in reality they all feel paralyzed, immersed in a fake war waged without any real passion or any authentic ideas. Structured with an atomized narration that brilliantly reflects the disintegration that comes with uprooting, full of tenderness, disenchantment and melancholy, False War is an extraordinary novel that confirms Carlos Manuel Álvarez as one of the indispensable voices of his generation.
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