Coda A Novel
Coda A Novel by René Belletto, published by U of Nebraska Press on March 1, 2011, is a unique literary work that intertwines various genres, including thriller, science fiction, and horror, within a concise narrative of 69 pages. The story begins with a provocative assertion about immortality, setting the stage for a complex tale that challenges conventional logic through a series of unexpected events triggered by a seemingly mundane package of frozen seafood.
Readers will encounter a narrative that blends humor with profound themes, as the protagonist navigates encounters with Fate, familial relationships, and the concept of death itself. The novel’s playful language invites exploration of serious subjects such as love and the innocence of children, all while maintaining a sense of whimsy. Coda presents a thought-provoking journey that defies genre boundaries, making it a distinctive addition to contemporary fiction.
Official synopsis Publisher
“It is to me that we owe our immortality, and this is the story that proves it beyond all doubt.” With this sentence René Belletto begins a novel that compresses every genre he has worked in—thriller, science fiction, experimental literature, horror—into one breathless narrative in which what is at stake is nothing less than our own immortality.
Playing with the expectations of the reader, Belletto constructs a logical puzzle that defies logic, much like the “almost-perpetual motion machine” invented by the narrator of this novel and his father. What sets the story in (perpetual) motion is a package of frozen seafood. This lowly mechanism triggers a series of picaresque and otherworldly events, from the storyteller’s meeting with Fate disguised as a beautiful woman, to the kidnapping of his daughter, to his amorous reunion with the younger half-sister of a high school friend, to the elimination of death from the world. It’s a funny business, but Belletto’s playful and falsely transparent language opens the book to such serious matters as explorations of death, immortality, love, and the innocence of children.
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