I loved how unique this book felt. It was like a story within a story filled with such rich thoughts and complex characters. To me, it was more about the characters than the actual plot. The narrator is literally talking to us. explaining how the book will go. It is such an interesting start to a book – like a preface or an explanation about the narrator and how he thinks. When I first started reading it, I got a sense that the narrator almost wanted to talk about himself more than the actual story and Macabea.

I feel pretty silly for thinking this, but until I watched both the lecture video and the conversation video, I thought Macabea was a real person and the narrator was writing her life story from observing her in real life. I was confused because every time he talked about loving Maca or eating what she ate, I thought he was physical with her. Then I had an Ohhhhh moment and realized she was just a character! this realization definitely changed how I initially read the book because through the whole introduction before the “story” even started, I thought the narrator wanted to write an almost biographical book about the real-life person of Maca. this book confused me because it felt so philosophical and read like a long prose poem, especially in the beginning. It almost felt like the narrator was going through an existential crisis. I also thought it was interesting that the psychic had predicted that the woman before Maca would be hit by a car, and then it was actually Maca who was hit literally right after her reading!

The more I think about the book, the more thoughts I have. It does a great job of showcasing Macabea’s life and character, and the challenges she faces as an impoverished woman. When reading, I thought Maca seemed like a simple girl with no fixed personality. But she did have dreams and wishes of her own and was a person, despite what the narrator said. Macabea just feels very real and raw to me. She is not someone I resonate with, but I can empathize with her and understand why she is the way she is. I also love collaging from magazines like she did with advertisements.

I know some people might dislike the ending for being so predictable or simple, but I liked it. Not that she died but the last two lines. At first, I didn’t understand them and was very confused about the reference to strawberry season. The yes is a direct reference back to the first sentence of the book, where the narrator states that it all started with a yes. I really loved this full-circle moment and how poetic the book felt. I’m a creative writing minor and noticed a lot of poetic themes. I mentioned above that the book felt like a prose poem, with all the deep topics on life and death. This book definitely hooked the poet in me!

One quote I absolutely loved was “My God, I just remembered that we die. But—but me too?!” ( pg 77). This line perfectly encapsulates the narrator and I feel like we all have that moment of realization that our time is limited and we will die.

Overall, this book deals with many heavy themes and rich characters. I really enjoyed reading it! My question for discussion is about the style of writing in this book. Did it hook you in from its uniqueness or just add confusion?