Beautiful, Baffling, and Unforgettable: The Invention of Morel | Book Review

“We can always find a cause for suspicion if we look for it.”

The Invention of Morel follows a fugitive as he hides on a strange island, observing a group of people who don’t seem to notice him. Everything seems off, but the novel resists giving away its secrets. Every time I thought I understood what was happening, I reconsidered. No, that can’t be it. 

The novel raises questions about perception, the nature of reality, and immortality. I won’t speak too much on the themes and what happens as I think it’s best to go in not knowing too much. I don’t want to spoil it, and it’s a short novel (about 100 pages). There’s also obsession here, and loneliness, and the way we impose our own desires onto the people we claim to love.

Jorge Luis Borges called The Invention of Morel a perfect novel. While I don’t think it’s a perfect novel, I do think it’s clever and conceptually ambitious. But I don’t know, something about the overall execution felt untidy. 

While the execution isn’t flawless, the writing is undeniably beautiful, and it’s something you’ll want to underline over and over. There are moments that feel almost like poetry, and so many lines that I’ll carry with me. The descriptions, the pacing, and the careful way in which Bioy Casares builds tension with language are remarkable. It’s one of those books where you get lost in a passage and find yourself rereading sentences for their sheer beauty.

It’s hard not to compare this book to Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which takes a similarly surreal premise but to me Clarke delivers a cleaner, more emotionally satisfying ending. With Clarke, there’s mystery, but also some resolution. With Bioy Casares, I closed the book still holding onto unanswered questions.

I liked it, though. Even in its untidiness, there’s something unsettling and fascinating about it. It lingers.