First published 2016
Gustavo Sánchez Sánchez, known as Carretera, claims to be the world's finest auction caller. Few people recognize his talent because he keeps it modest. He can mimic Janis Joplin, balance a chicken egg on a table, and count to eight in Japanese. Carretera has invented the Allegorical Method, where he auctions stories that give objects their value and meaning rather than the items themselves. He wasn't always this performer. For years he worked as a security guard at a juice factory until a coworker's panic attack changed everything. Now Carretera must face his abandoned son's anger and conduct an auction to help a priest save his church. His final performance will be The Story of My Personal Gustavos, an allegorical auction about his own life. Luiselli creates a world where daily longing drives her characters forward while history weighs them down.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, magical-realism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Carretera
208 pages · Paperback · Granta Books