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Huh, interesting - I actually attempted something similar. After getting pretty good at Spanish following a few years of what passes as an immersion experience, and taking a university Spanish class or two on top (including a Spanish lit class), I also decided I really wanted to read it (plus, had some at least decent Latin American history knowledge, thanks IB program). It's a cool book in principle, but the execution, I agree. Tried twice, got only to about 100 pages in the second time, and came to basically the same conclusion. On a technical level, it's super cool. Was neat to read in Spanish. But as a book, ehhhh...
If you find a more enjoyable Spanish book (not Marquez cuz I'm still burned out) though, that's worth it in original Spanish as opposed to a translation, I'm all ears. Could be nice to brush up again a bit.
I've read a lot in Spanish (108 books total, 62 originally written in Spanish). I have a list that needs to be updated a little bit, but some of my favorites below.
Olvidado Rey Gudú: This actually doesn't have a translation to English at all, so you need Spanish (or Italian or German to read it). It's basically Game of Thrones crossed with a fairy story. Haven't read anything like it. I wrote an in-depth review of it here
El Sentimiento Tragico de La Vida: This is a philosophy book that tries to tie together christianity and existentialism. Much like Kierkegaard. I wrote an in-depth review of it here
La Invención de Morel: This is a short novella about a guy trapped on a creepy island filled with holograms. Was intended as a parable against TV.
Los Cuerpos del Verano: This is also a short science fiction novel about a world where death no longer exists because people are uploaded to the net when they're dying. New bodies are an option, but the quality of the body you get depends a lot on your social status. Our protagonist gets the body of middle-aged women (he's a dude). I really recommend this one, and you can find my longer review of it here
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I would commend to you El Astillero (The Shipyard) by Juan Carlos Onetti. One of my personal favorite books.
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