For Andorra, I read The Teacher of Cheops by Albert Salvadó. Andorra is a tiny landlocked country located between France and Spain. As of 2023, its population was about 85,000 souls–that’s 50,000 fewer people than the city of Pasadena, California, where I live. Still, I hoped I could find a book that gave me a glimpse into life in Andorra from the perspective of an Andorran-born writer.

Spoiler alert: I could not.

I found one Andorran-born writer whose works have been translated into English, but he writes historical fiction. I read through the descriptions of his available works, and it didn’t seem like any of them were located in Andorra.

I did find plenty of books written by English speakers who had traveled to Andorra or even lived there, but none of them were from Andorra. For example, the chef Eric Ripert has a memoir, 32 Yolks, and he lived in Andorra for several years during his childhood. Could I read that instead? I considered this option for several days, but in the end, it just didn’t feel right for my quest. Eric Ripert is FRENCH, not Andorran, and I’ve already read several books by French authors. I am trying to break away from my tendency to read books written by authors from a limited part of the globe, and choosing 32 Yolks for Andorra felt like cheating.

Look. I’m not saying I’m entirely above cheating during this project. But cheating when I’m only on the As? Maybe when I get to the Qs, but Andorra is way too early to cheat with a French chef’s memoir.

I then briefly wondered if I could read something in Catalan? Like something really short? Hey, I took Spanish for four years in high school, and yes, one of those teachers is from Lithuania and the other is a nice Jewish girl from Ohio, but yo hablo un pocito de nevermind. If I want to finish this quest in my lifetime, I have to stick to books written in or translated into English.

I resolved to read something by Albert Salvadó and chose The Teacher of Cheops because I’ve always been fascinated by ancient Egypt, and the book was…

well…

It wasn’t my favorite.

It’s about an accountant in ancient Egypt, and I didn’t think it was possible to write a boring story about ancient Egypt, but apparently there is at least one way.

The translation is also appalling. A translator is credited, and it’s highly possible he let Google do the work. On the bright side, I now have a deep appreciation for the skill, time and talent involved in translating works into English. (Alberto, if you are reading this, please hire a different translator for your next book.)

There are some terrible sex scenes (to the point of at least being humorous) and some cringey misogny, but hey, at least I read a book by an Andorran author. Right?