The Story of the Night: A Novel

Good story and well written. Well developed characters and an interesting look at politics in Argentina. Four more words required.

Oddly, I think most of the reviews for this book--pro and con--are pretty accurate. The account of an Argentine man living through the years of the dictatorship, Malvinas/Falklands War, economic turmoil and the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is important and fascinating. At the same time, the author's narrative writing style here does come across as cool and dispassionate, making the protagonist seem self-absorbed and heartless, and taking the edge off his moments of real love and tragedy. There is, as one reviewer pointed out, a sudden drop-off in the tension that was built around the political intrigue that was a central theme in the book.It's a polarizing book, but I have to say that I thought it was beautiful at times in its cool-eyed assessment of how people might react under various forms of stress. I also liked the novel for the quasi-redemption that comes at its conclusion.

There's the intrigue of Argentina's post-military junta confusion, grand larceny, CIA operatives, and love between two young men...all well-told, restrained and thoughtful...different from Toibin's other books...and interesting for that, too...his only book dealing extensively with homosexual love...

The writing is atrocious . . . I . . . I . . . I . . .. author explains without ever putting you in a relatable situation; and this happened, then this, oh, btw, this also. NO visceral sense of Argentinian dictatorship, disappearance (believe me, I have friends who still chillingly point out locations . . .), no love life excepting "oh, he's cute, cute, cute" . . . no tension with economy transitioning . . . AND !!! ending abruptly : we both are going to die. That's it !! end of a poorly written book. Thrice I've opted out of finishing a reading, continued giving this author a first time chance. bbbzzzzz. The respectable journalistic reviewers should be ashamed of attaching their names and accredited affiliations to their reviews. Junior high school aspirational writing a first draft at best. Anyway.

By mere accident I started to read this book by Toibin. As the old saying goes..."I couldn't put it down"While I had nothing in common with the subject, by the time I finished this book, it opened a new pathof varied interests to me. I went to Amazon to get another of Toibin's books. I may be hooked. Awonderful read so well presented. Thank you Sir Toibin! rfw

Toibin finds a way to make the end of life seem not so bad. Otherwise, I was not expecting the epic gravity of this story. Prose is top notch contemporary. Lots of gay sex, which is nice.

Well written but left too much unresolved and ended too abruptly. I would have wanted more insight into narrator's view of political climate.

The transformation of the main character from a struggling, impoverished youth into a sophisticated man of the world happens too quickly to sustain belief. That is my only quibble. This is an early work by Mr. Toibin who has matured to rank among the very best novelists writing in English.

Da ich ein ausgesprochener Toibin-Fan bin, habe ich nach langem Zögern auch diesen Roman gelesen. Ich konnte mir nicht vorstellen, daß man eine homoerotische Geschichte so zartfühlen und berührend beschreiben kann. Toibin aber kann. Doch ist der Roman durchaus auch politisch und sozialkritisch. Sehr lesenswert.

Just the book I want. Colm Toibin has never disappointed me.

Beautifully written, beautiful spirit, beautiful tout court.Having grown up in Argentina and suffered -- even if at a distance -- through the terrible years, starting with Peron, I am struck by the authenticity of this account. Toibin captures the atmosphere of Buenos Aires, its history and its actuality, better than anyone else that I have read. I am touched by his compassion and comprehension.Also, I am illuminated and educated by his view of homosexuality in such an environment and I thank him for having written a book that I shall keep forever.

フォークランド紛争（彼らの名前ならマルビナス戦争）時代のアルゼンチンを中心に英国人の母とアルゼンチン人の父を持つ主人公が物語を語るのだが、前半部に起こることの多くは、読み始める前に何となく想像したことからさほど遠いわけではない。異邦人としての母親、親友（と呼ぶべきなのか）への片思い、スペイン旅行で出会ったチリ人たちの物語、アメリカ人との外交的な交友関係。自分が何者なのか、どこに自分の居場所があるのか、感情の揺れを押さえた語り口はもちろん、彼が性的嗜好や生まれや性格的なものによる何重ものアウトサイダー的存在として、どこにも溶け込めないからなのだ。ところが、時代背景をすっかり忘れて読んでいたせいか、まるで頬を張られるかのように後半の展開は別物だった。今ではすっかり忘れ去ってしまっていたあの時代の記憶が鮮明に蘇ってきたのだ。それは、孤独感と死の予感（私自身のものではなかったが）をかつてないほど身近に突きつけられた記憶である。その頃に読んだ同じテーマの何冊もの本の中にも、このような描き方をしたものは１冊もなかったように思う（それとも忘れてしまっただけで、他にもあったのだろうか？）。これ以上は明言したくないので、ぜひ自分の目で発見していただきたい。主人公が最後に感じる、本来あり得ない形の幸福感の深い悲しみに言葉を失い、胸打たれることだろう（もちろん、絶対的な孤独よりは隣に誰かのいる死の方が数段マシなのだという物語なら何度も読んだのかもしれない、とはいえ・・・）。

Having previously only read 'Brooklyn'by Colm Toibin,I was a bit surprised by the intensity and subject matter of this novel.I did enjoy it, but like some other reviewers I found the middle part of the book took me nowhere.The end of the novel was certainly moving, and gave an insight into the feelings of someone diagnosed with AIDS. I did enjoy the portrayal of political life at the times of the Falklands War in Argentina,and Chile and the posturing and cruelty of the generals.Colm Toibin writes well and graphically,and moves the reader on with the story. The characters could almost be taken to be people that he had known-perhaps they were-A very good novel, but not what I really expected.