The Hotel Misterioso is a place where slackers, near-non-failures, and has-beens come together to recuperate from the rest of the world.
Michael Bugbee's novel, "Notes From Hotel Misterioso," is the story, framed as a memoir or a journal, of retired photojournalist Miles Hyde. Hyde is running out his days at the rundown Mexican resort he bought.
The story is non-linear, with a handful of not-so-traditional storylines opening up gradually. Any semblance of "plot" is absent, besides the disjointed and often simultaneous revealing of significant events.
For the most part, "Misterioso" comes across more like a series of unrelated character profiles. Bugbee excels at employing wit and irony to paint caricatures of seemingly irrelevant characters that only exist for the sake of the anecdotes about them.
The characters include a team of Alaskan convict kidnappers, a lovably corrupt Mexican sheriff, and a wealth of spiritually disaffected Hollywood power types. They are often loosely tied together, if at all, as parts of the narrator's narrowly inexhaustible digressions and tangents.
Perhaps the best substitute for a plot is the backdrop of the Iran Contra Affair. Revealed piece-by-piece and completely out of order, Hyde explains how he went from being an ordinary news photographer to working undercover as a CIA spook, taking out renegade U.S. agents in El Salvador.
Hyde grapples with the memories of his involvement, asking more questions than he answers. The arbitrary disclosure of details is justified as "And I just remembered's" and "Now I'm ready to talk about's," along with ironic, tongue-in-cheek reflections.
The seriousness of the various sub-stories and character tragedies is thankfully mitigated with the presence of the retired civil servant, Bergen. Bergen, an expansive drunk who seems to be a permanent resident at the Hotel Misterioso, balances the narrator's introspection with humorous dialogue sequences and semi-adventures.
Bergen and Hyde's interactions make up the thematic center of the novel, discussing the main people, places, and events, while heckling customers and getting into brawls. At high points, the two stumble and drunk-talk like a mild Hunter Thompson and Doctor Gonzo; at low points, they bicker pointlessly like a crass Lorelai and Rory Gilmore.
The reader who spends the first half of the book wondering when the storyline is supposed to begin will surely be disappointed. This is a very unconventional novel that, while potentially tiring to actually read, paints a strong, holistic picture once it has been completed.
The final sequence of sketches and anecdotes unravels quickly, putting the rest of the novel into context. It is comprised primarily of a segment from the journal of Jack Hyde, Miles' brother, who stayed at the Misterioso following his near-tragic involvement in the Iran Contra mess.
Even the listless lack-of-plot that encompasses the majority of the novel is justified in Jack's musings. Jack meditates on his lack of success as a writer, self-expression, and creativity in general. The psychological rumination is intricate and insightful, elevating the rest of the novel with it.
"Notes from Hotel Misterioso" is a non-traditional account-not exactly a "story"-and might, as a result, tire the casual reader. At points, the prose falls short and the dialogue might seem trite or extraneous, and the sporadic profiles frustrate the reader with incessant digression.
However, taken as a whole, "Misterioso" is layered, philosophical, and quasi-spiritual. Like the best post-modern storytelling, it only really makes sense long after its completion.
