The short life

Brausen, the main character in The Short Life of Juan Carlos Onetti, is standing in the shower on a sweltering day and thinking about his wife who is undergoing a mastectomy at about the same time. At the same time, his attention is drawn to the cheerful voice of a new neighbor. When his wife returns home, he desperately tries to save their relationship and resist the neighbor, but he is irrevocably lured to her house. This turn of events in his life leads him to the conclusion that a person should not live one life, but many "short lives."
The Short Life is an extremely sensual book. A tantalizing search for the essence of human existence, the motivations and the dreams, a merciless reckoning with illusions. A book that grabs you by the throat and will never let go.
“Juan Carlos Onetti is the greatest Latin American writer.” – Julio Cortázar
'Onetti's novels and stories are the foundation of our modern age.' – Carlos Fuentes