Humiliation by Paulina Flores review - millennial lives, killer twists
(The Guardian Culture News)

Sharp insights and dry humour mark the debut of this accomplished young Chilean writerIf reading can feel like a hand reaching out and taking yours (as Alan Bennett memorably put it), it´s still rare to encounter a debut with a grip this sure. Young Chilean writer Paulina Flores leads you with such cool confidence through her nine stories that I can´t wait to follow wherever she goes next.First published in Chile in 2015 - after she won the Roberto Bolaño prize for the title story, Qué Vergüenza - this collection, translated by Megan McDowell, has earned her much praise. It feels particularly timely with the current protests led by young people in Chile over inequality and living standards. Flores rarely focuses explicitly on economic injustice, but her backdrop is often poverty and unemployment, notably the latter´s impact on men and masculinity. Her millennial characters, meanwhile, seem to share a sense of `generalised failure`, a thwarted ambition to do better than their parents. Continue reading...