Chilean short story - Zambra

The short story Emilio in the current New Yorker makes me think the author, Chilean writer Alejandro Zambra, may be the next generation's Roberto Bolano. Like many of Bolano's stories, this one is about a young man in chile who has a tense and complex relationship w his father and who comes to know more about his father and half as he moves farther away from home in time and space. The title character is the godson of the narrator's father and arrives in narrator's life quite suddenly and unexpectedly at age 18 - narrator about 9 years younger - and Emilio guides narrator se times awkwardly like an older bro. Narrator is aware that he is OCD and Emilio soothes and reassures him also tries to help ease him out of shyness and teach him how to talk to girls with some tragicomic results. As w so many Latin American stories this one ends too w key characters living abroad and encountering one another - safe from the dictatorship but alien in a new land. Unlike w Bolano's fiction the narrator here does not seem to b a literary sort - his adult life in fact remains a bit of a mystery. Much of story involves Chilean soccer - tho most NA readers will not know the specific stats references to the sport we do get the idea as to how the passion for the game both playing it and following pro teams can both draw people together and drive them apart. Most amusing scene in story: Emilio not a fan goes to pro game and decides to root for the refs and on penalty calls stands and shout "good call gentlemen. Well done!"

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