Firstly, many thanks to the publishers at '& Other Stories' for bringing the wondrous work of César Aira to English readers! Secondly, this (very slim, very compact) story is nothing short of explosive. 'The Proof' is a book that I believe everyone should read. It's an intoxicating whirlwind of a tale that turns the concept of "love at first sight" on its own sorry, sore, outdated head. The 'protagonist' of this profane and lustful tale is a young girl Marcia who, on her way home, is encountered by two striking punks, Mao and Lenin. When Mao confesses to Marcia to have fallen inexplicably in love with her, albeit after only having laid eyes on her for a moment in time, she sets in motion a disastrous chain of events that challenge the very idea of what 'love' is, what it means to love and to be loved, and how - if at all - love can in fact be 'proven'. The story that unfolds is a landslide of philosophy, carnage, and taut hormonal angst, forcing you to laugh at yourself by the very end for ever believing that 'love at first sight' was a good thing.

Having seen an article about this in The Bookseller I was excited to read it, and I wasn't disappointed with the narrative, although in places I found the translation a little clunky, although still poetic in its own way. The characters of Mao and Lenin were fascinating and the contrast with Marcia was interesting. A narrative that constantly twists and turns; every time you think you know where it's going, you find yourself wrong footed and the ending was just totally unexpected. A really special work.