Cronopios and Famas

After the introduction, or prelude, excerpted somewhere around here, Cronopios and Famas begins with "INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO CRY," three paragraphs describing how to cry. This is an appropriate beginning, because I felt like following the instructions while I read much of this book.

Through the absurd, Cortázar gets very very painfully close to something true and exact about living with ourselves and with others. The more absurd the book becomes, the more exact in its observations. It is difficult to say what this book is about; it has no narrative per se, nor characters in the traditional sense, no structur except...

The book is divided into four sections. The first: "The Instruction Manual," exactly what it claims to be. Among the contents: how to cry, how to sing, how to dissect a ground owl, how to kill ants in Rome, how to climb a staircase, and so on. The second section is titled "Unusual Occupations," is about a family, local pariahs. No matter who you are, you'll be reminded of your own. The third section's title "Unstable Stuff" concerns getting along in the world, not quite effectively. We're almost to the last section, and the reader can fell Cortázar cracking his knuckles. The last section, "Cronopios and Famas," describes three creatures, cronopios, esperanzas and famas. Distinct types, they are.