i have a difficult relationship with him. mildly impressed with his urban novel “Erase una vez el amor pero tuve que matarlo” i’ve been reading every other thing he publishes thinking “i’ll give him another chance”. most of the time it fails to impress, sometimes i get pleasant surprises. at least he’s one of colombia’s most irreverent writers with a penchant for bukowskian humor and seemingly no fear to experiment. and that’s a great deal for a mildly successful young colombian writer. the stories in this book range from the bukowskian to the cheesy. and really, the cheesy ones are the ones i was mostly impressed, i wasn’t expecting them. recurrent theme in the stories: the father gone. all over the place, like a soft spot in a rotting mango. at the end i wouldn’t recommend the book. he is still just OK. it wasn’t a transformative experience but i still hope efraim keeps on trying.