Fresh, Green Life

Castillo (Salmon) skewers various forms of malarkey in this sharp tale of a cerebral man’s quest for self-improvement. The novel opens on December 31 in the wake of a “minor health scare” for truculent narrator Sebastian Castillo, an adjunct writing teacher. Sebastian now takes a vow of silence and devotes his life to a spartan regime, leaving his apartment only to “perform an activity known as health exercises.” He receives an invitation to a New Year’s Eve party from his former philosophy and literature teacher, Professor Aleister, who now translates a neglected Spanish author named Sebastián Castillo (unlike the narrator, the author’s name contains an accent). Sebastian agrees to break his monkish routine in hopes of running into former classmate Maria, his “never-to-be beloved” crush, at the party. When he arrives, though, he is disappointed not to see Maria, and troubled by what Aleister has to say. As Sebastian and the professor hand down erudite and sardonic judgments on the comparative value of philosophy (“nonsense”) and literature (“delicious nonsense”), the engrossing narrative explores questions about how one should lead, or change, one’s life. Fans of Thomas Bernhard will find much to love. (June)