Book description
'There's seven ways to kill a cat. But when it comes down to it,
there's only two ways. In a civilised fashion or like a fucking savage'.
In Buenos Aires, the economy has collapsed and people are protesting
on the streets. But in the barrio, life goes on - the slums of the
city are ruled by gangs, drugs and guns.
Gringo and Chueco are almost adults, and joining the gang warfare
that governs their community seems inevitable. Chueco thinks he can
join El Jetita's gang but remain his own man, Gringo knows this can't
happen - you obey the leader or else. As the two get drawn ever deeper
into the turf war between El Jetita and his rival Charly, Gringo sees
an alternative way of life, and love, pass before his eyes. A few days
ago he and Chueco were joking about killing cats; now he's fighting to
save his skin.
Born in Buenos Aires in 1975, MatÃas Néspolo studied literature,
going on to write poems, short stories, journalism and then
Seven
Ways to Kill a Cat
, his acclaimed first novel. He has been living in Barcelona since 2001
and, in 2010, was selected by
Granta
as one of their best young contemporary Spanish-language novelists.
