I found it very difficult to enjoy this book. I tried so intently to read the words and give them the credit they deserved but I stand firmly in that a book is significant as the feelings it gives you. This novella made me feel nothing if not frustration. The beginning line held me well as it reads “This is going to be a horror story … But it won’t appear to be, for the simple reason that I am the teller.”(1) This captivated me as the main characteristic I could grab onto for clarity was the fact that she is a poet. Whether or not she is confident in her abilities, she writes like a poet; nonsensical at times and begging for decipher. I feel as though I would be deducing the text of its value by offering any reflection as I feel I was unable to form coherent thoughts so I look forward to the classroom discussion. However, the main thing I am curious about is the scattered nature of the events, the past mixing with the present and the future as well as the narrator speaking in first, second, and third person point of view. It makes me feel as though any conclusion I come to with the book would not be far-fetched.
Midway through the book, the narrator has a friend, Arturito Belano, come back to Mexico City after leaving to fight for the left wing of Chile. I feel this character could be closer to the narrator, Auxilio, than she narrates. I would almost go as far as saying they are one in each other simply from the similarity of their names and how big of a role Arturito immediately plays in the narrative.
I found the scene where she is hiding in the university’s lavatories particularly difficult to read but also refreshing as here she seems most present in her narrative. She reflects on her family and her friends and literature and life as she knows it. She speaks about her displacement as a woman in Mexico, originally from Uruguay, actively contributing to Mexico’s literary enrichment. Auxilio even goes as far as calling herself “the mother of Mexican poetry”. Even though this part of the book was easier to comprehend from the others, it will still difficult to decipher how she felt insecure in her poetry abilities but would go as far as giving herself a maternal label in the movement.
My questions:
- What were your thoughts on the book? Did you like it or not?
- Do you believe Arturio could be a part of Auxilio’s memory or identity rather than a secondary character?
I’m not sure that Auxilio is a poet. I fear someone may point to a passage that proves me wrong, but even if they do the stress throughout is that she is a friend, even mother, of poets. This implies both intimacy and distance, which I think fits with her position as displaced Uruguayan, someone who hangs out with people rather younger than herself, who is clearly a little different in many ways, and yet always around, sometimes wanted, sometimes not.
What were your thoughts on the book? Did you like it or not?
I loved the book as it constantly got me invested to the point where I finished in about 3 hours. I loved the concept of these fabricated memories and I would definitely re-read this again
Hello! I really appreciate the honesty in your blog. I totally agree that the book did seem scattered and hard to comprehend at times. To answer your first question, it definitely wasn’t my favourite. Like you, i feel like it was hard to keep my full attention on every part of the book.
Hi! Thanks for sharing your complete opinion on the book; sometimes they aren’t the most enjoyable reads, and that is okay to admit! I personally really enjoyed the book. I found Auxilio to be a strange, passive, and shadowy narrator, which is something that appealed to me as a reader. The scene in the lavatory is definitely a difficult scene to read, and I found it constantly repeating itself over and over again. Nevertheless, I found the constant reflection of her life and what she’s been through to be engaging to me as a reader. Her unreliability was a good and bad thing in my opinion, because it gave the narrative a raw perspective, but always had me wondering whether or not she was actually giving us the true story. What do you think could have been different in order for you to have enjoyed the book a bit more? (this is a bit of a weird question; please bear with me lol).
I think Arturo definitely has more going on than most give him credit for – me included – that said, I don’t get what’s so special about him. Other than his age, his mother, and the fact he went to be a revolutionary, he’s just a dude. But on the other hand, he obviously plays a big role in Auxilio’s life (or thoughts), so I’m kind of leaning towards thinking it’s a weird mother/son dynamic. (mommy issues?)