Here, a look at some recent offerings by writers whose journeys, whether undertaken by force of will or quirk of fate, yielded more than snapshots. It is the early '90s, and Buenos Aires is falling apart.
Air pollution is supposedly bad enough to choke babies.
Thousands of bus drivers are diagnosed as clinically depressed. Everyone is in therapy. And to top it off, only eight of 300 available condom brands sold are safe. These are bad times, indeed. But free-lance journalist Miranda French's humorous sensibilities enable her to persevere amid all the solemn absurdity the city throws in her path.