"Padura's new book is a celebration of and a tribute to the genre of the novel, to which he feels so indebted; in its pages, he considers questions surrounding this invention that has been dealing with human issues for four centuries, serving as a tool for transforming society and reflecting upon it. It contains a brilliant account of how narrative material begins as a dim light in the writer's mind. In the words of the author: "between an abstract obsession, almost philosophical, and the complicated process of writing a novel, there is a long stretch, full of obstacles and challenges." Padura gently takes the reader's hand and is responsible for illuminating that complicated path toward the door of the building of the novel."--www.latinamericanliteraturetoday.org.