Two of the finest short stories by the Chilean novelist José Donoso …, "Paseo" and "Santelices," deal with humdrum characters whose quiet lives are disrupted when they develop a peculiar fascination with animals. There is no direct commentary to interpret the characters' outlandish behavior, however, nor to indicate to what extent it might be realistically credible. (p. 115)

The narrator of "Paseo" tells of the personality change that took place in his aunt, a rigid, orderly spinster, wholly devoted to the well-being of her three brothers, whose housekeeper she was. Suddenly forsaking the domestic ritual of a lifetime, she took to wandering around the streets until one night she disappeared and was never heard from again. No motive is given for this transformation save that a strange little alley dog had intruded into her life and household and then returned to the streets whence it came, taking her along.

Unquestionably...