The night buffalo

Original language: español

Year of publication: 1999

Valuation: recommendable

What I like most about Arriaga is that he is a very good example of the maturation process of a writer. He started strong, with novels like “The Guillotine Squadron” or “A Sweet Smell of Death” (of course, we cannot leave aside what he did in films like “Amores Perros” or “Babel”), but if we compare them with the most recent “Save the fire” or “Strange”, you can see how he has left certain clichés behind and has been refining his style. “The night buffalo” seems to me to be halfway there. You can still see a young Arriaga, highly influenced by other writers (it gave me a bit of cringe that the book opens with two epigraphs by Bukowski), as well as themes with which it is very difficult for me to identify (this may be because I am already getting old).

The lives of a group of friends/lovers (in true Dawson’s Creek style) are turned upside down by the suicide of Gregorio, a young man with psychiatric problems but with a magnetic personality. His best friend, Manuel, the protagonist of the novel, in addition to having to deal with the loss of his friend, is involved in a Machiavellian plan hatched by Gregorio to take revenge on those who wronged him in life (of course, according to his disturbed mind). ).

This is where the theme of the book escapes me: upper-middle class young people, passionate and tormented, alternating their days between university, secrets, betrayals and a lot of sex. The novel tries to show us adolescent life in a violent world of Mexico at the beginning of the 21st century. Hopeless young people, selfish, nihilistic, etc., people who live their lives to the extreme and immersed in their microworld, jumping from problem to problem (maybe it’s because my life is too boring).

On the other hand, something undeniable is that Arriaga is a master at creating complex characters. Also, the way the plot progresses, pushing its characters to constantly face their own conflicts. This continuous flow keeps the narrative dynamic, allowing each event to trigger new reactions and decisions in the protagonists, contributing to developing constant tension. Arriaga masterfully handles narrative twists, ensuring that each scene not only advances the story, but also delves deeper into the psychology of the characters.

In conclusion, the buffalo of the night is a work that shows Guillermo Arriaga in the process of evolution as a writer. Despite some thematic aspects that seem implausible to me, the novel offers a penetrating look at youth, exploring themes such as friendship, love, loss, and the search for identity. An author who never disappoints.