Memories of My Melancholy Whores

I realize that the title of this book may lead you to think that its an odd present for Matt to buy me for Christmas, but, for some reason, the book struck him as one I might like, and, he was right. Written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who (as the cover isn't shy to admit) also wrote One Hundred Years of Solitutde, and Love in the Time of Cholera, neither of which I have read in the past, the book is about a man in his ninetieth year who decides that his 90th birthday present to himself will be a virgin. The main character is just barely likeable... he lives by himself, and has paid every one of the hundreds of women he has slept with. Yet, upon seeing the 14 year old virgin, Delgadina, who he managed to secure in no small part due to the vast sums previously spent in the brothels, he falls in love with her, and his life is upended. From then on, his weekly newspaper column changes from a monologue about growing old alone to a romantic love letter to Delgadina; he stops listening to classical music and starts listening to boleros; and he can no longer read the classics, but instead switched to romantic writings. His love for her gives him the strength to confront his inner self for the first time, revealing that he "appears generous in order to conceal my meanness, that I pass myself off as prudent because I am evil-minded... that I am punctual only to hide how little I care about other people's time."
Not much really happens in the book, to be honest, but the prose is beautifully poetic and almost hypnotizes you into reading the whole thing (I basically read it in one sitting). Even the strange "relationship" between the 90-year old man and the 14-year old girl stopped being quite as disturbing by the end of the book. Although the main character isn't someone I would normally empathize with, the narration itself is so honest and human that its hard not to get sucked in. Although at the moment, I'll admit that I'm more focused on the girl in the story and the changes that love brings to his life, even as he retains his cynical side, the story also reveals the character's fears and concerns about aging and death, which I imagine will become more poignant in years to come.
In the end, Memories of My Melancholy Whores is a clever story about growing old, finding love, and remembering to confront your inner self periodically, even when you're terrified you're not going to find someone you particularly care for.