“Hopscotches, childish rituals of pebbling and hopping to enter Heaven.”

Hey, bookworms and literature enthusiasts! Remember my pledge in November to conquer the post-reading burnout blues? If you missed the challenge, catch up here.

Now, the big question – did I succeed? Well, I wouldn’t say I failed either, and here’s why.

Against the advice of many, I opted for a hefty tome. Not just any book but Julio Cortazar’s unconventional masterpiece, Hopscotch. Critics warned against it, suggesting a lighter start, maybe a novel, poetry, or a short story. But I dove headfirst into Cortazar’s labyrinthine narrative, and let me tell you, it was a game-changer.

Cortazar, the master of the unexpected, offers readers a unique choice from the get-go. He presents two ways to experience the book, disrupting the traditional A-to-Z narrative we’re accustomed to. It’s a literary playground where you choose your own adventure, but with a twist – he reveals the order of the chapters. Does that diminish the element of choice? Not at all. It’s an experience like no other, defying the norms and challenging your perception of storytelling.

But why is this a panacea for reading burnout? Picture a book that defies linearity, with pages you can’t track, chapters you can’t count, and an elusive ending. It liberates you from the guilt of unfinished pages, the pressure of page-counting, and immerses you in a non-linear world with a captivating story, profound philosophy, and breathtaking prose.

I won’t claim to have completed the book entirely; it’s more of an ongoing, dreamlike journey that I’ll revisit. And guess what? I highly recommend you take this leap with me.

Cortazar doesn’t just transport you through words; he magically reinvents Paris. Despite my initial skepticism about the city, Hopscotch transformed it into a mesmerizing realm through the lens of art.

Let’s delve into Cortazar’s musings on identity and belonging. Born to an Argentine family in Belgium and spending a significant chunk of his life in France, Cortazar’s identity transcended borders. A poignant quote touches on the absurdity of a “stupid blue passport” restricting a truly international soul.

The first quote in Hopscotch by Jacques Vaché, in a letter to André Breton, the father of surrealism in literature, is a profound reflection: “Nothing kills a man like having to represent a country.” This sets the tone for Cortazar’s exploration of identity and the burden of representation.

Cortazar’s declarations, “Montevideo was the same as Buenos Aires” and “Paris was Buenos Aires and vice versa,” echo through the pages. Through these words, Cortazar doesn’t claim their sameness or lack of uniqueness, but quite the opposite. He suggests that they are part of the same world, where similar human stories unfold everywhere.

And the romantic allure of his words! Hopscotch is a literary seduction that transcends the ordinary, creating a world where lovers embrace risk, spend furious days reading in cafes, and touch each other’s lips as if painting a masterpiece.

“She would smile and show no surprise, convinced as she was, the same as I, that casual meetings are apt to be just the opposite, and that people who make dates are the same kind who need lines on their writing paper, or who always squeeze up from the bottom on a tube of toothpaste.”

― Julio Cortazar, Hopscotch

This quote explores the concept of cronopio versus fama, Cortazar’s whimsical creations that represent the imaginative and the conventional, the dreamers versus the realists.

Cortazar’s philosophy shines through in profound quotes like “If you fall, I’ll pick you up, and if not, I’ll lie down with you” and reflections on hope belonging not to us but to life itself.

In the end, Hopscotch is a captivating dance of memory, feelings, and the pure present.

It’s a journey where we go around without seeking each other but knowing we go around to find each other.

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