Book: Simpatía
Author: Rodrigo Blanco Calderón
Country: Venezuela
Format: e-book
Pages: 206
Publication: 2020
I came across this book when it was longlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize. Venezuela was still an unexplored country on my reading lists, and the historical-political background of the book immediately caught my eye.
The story is set in contemporary Venezuela, under the rule of Nicolás Maduro, and follows Ulises Kan, an orphaned, cinephile professor whose life is upended when his wife, Paulina, suddenly decides to leave both him and the country.
Paulina is not alone in her decision. According to the United Nations, 7.9 million Venezuelans have fled the country since the extreme-leftist leader Nicolás Maduro came to power in 2013. They are escaping one of the world’s most severe economic collapses, marked by widespread shortages of basic goods and food, constant blackouts, and inflation rates that can soar to 150%.
Many people left everything behind, including their domestic animals. With no one to care for them, the streets became packed with stray dogs—and that’s where our character Ulises Kan comes in. When his father-in-law, General Martín Ayala, passes away, he leaves Ulises a mission: to convert the dilapidated family estate, Los Argonautas, into a shelter for abandoned dogs.
““It’s true, it is possible to live without dogs, but there’s really no need,” Martín said when he had finally caught his breath.”
Simpatía, by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón
If he succeeds within the stipulated timeframe, he will also inherit the luxurious apartment he once shared with Paulina. As he takes on this task, Ulises reconnects with Nadine, an old, unresolved love, while navigating a web of intrigue, betrayals, and surveillance—including from federal agents.
It was fascinating to get a glimpse into what life in Venezuela is like today. In many Latin American countries, Venezuela has become a cautionary tale, frequently invoked by right-wing conservatives to warn against progressive governments. On the other side, left-wing politicians often downplay the crisis, attributing it solely to the U.S. embargo or dismissing it as media exaggeration.
In that sense, Venezuela now resembles Cuba: a nation whose narrative is constantly disputed between left and right, with very little reliable information filtering through.
But that the situation is dire—that much is undeniable. If you want to understand more about this topic, I recommend Johnny Harris’s video series on the country.
Back to the book: one of the most captivating characters is Nadine. She’s fragile, unpredictable, mysterious, and magnetic. She reminds me of other women portrayed by contemporary male authors—Julia, in Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa; Lavinia, in I’d Receive the Worst News from Your Beautiful Lips by Marçal Aquino; the girlfriend in A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami; and Severina, in Severina by Rodrigo Rey Rosa.
It sometimes feels as if these writers are all writing about the same woman. Nadine, Julia, Lavinia, and Severina are portrayed through the male gaze, embodying the qualities men both fear and desire. They alter the main character’s path and, more often than not, vanish into thin air.
Ultimately, Simpatía is not only a story about love, betrayal, and loss—it’s also a meditation on survival in a country where chaos has become the norm. Through Ulises’s journey and his unexpected mission to care for abandoned dogs, Blanco Calderón captures the feeling of a society in limbo: torn between nostalgia for what was lost and uncertainty about what lies ahead. It’s a novel that lingers long after you finish it, raising as many questions about Venezuela as it does about the human heart.
Love this book? You can pick up a copy at Bookshop.org.
Every purchase supports indie bookstores and helps me keep “Read the World” running.
Leave a Reply