London, Serpent's Tail, 1st pbk, 1998, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 167 pages. Stories that capture the absurdity of life. Valenzuela's view of life captures our imagination because we know how far it is from reality - cops in Buenos Aires are not afraid of dogs, latin lovers in cafes do make moves in the game of courtship, hotels in Venice overlook canals. Clean copy.