Here we are, (technically) my last blog post EVER for RMST 202. I know we still have our conclusion blog posts to write, but this is the last blog post on the last book of the course. Now, THAT is a milestone to celebrate, but it’s very bittersweet. I feel like I say this every week, but guys, I’m a little lost. Being one of the many who chose to read Valeria Luiselli’s Faces in the Crowd for this week, I know I’m not alone in that confusion. The overall structure of Luiselli’s novel is very much intentionally all over the place; starting in one place and picking up in another over and over. This would make any reader a little lost because A LOT can get lost in translation and be misunderstood within this structure. However, I will say, for me, it was a very entertaining read. And, although structured in a very unique and abstract way, it didn’t turn me completely off of the book. I mention this only because, from what I have seen, that tends to be the popular narrative surrounding the novel which I totally understand as well.
Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli’s follows a variety of different stories, starting off in Mexico City with a mother who is writing about her time spent living in New York. Seeing as she wasn’t given a name in the novel, who this woman is is up for interpretation and, as mentioned in the lecture, could very well be Valeria Luiselli herself. She writes of her transition from New York life to her Mexico City life; from being a translator and slight kleptomaniac to a mother and wife left with little time to write. This isn’t the only story touched upon, as soon after, the story of Gilberto Owen, a Mexican poet who the woman finds herself a little obsessed with, is introduced. Gilberto Owens life too has changed, as he is now in Philadelphia, reflecting on his life and important relationships and connections from his past. Even within this fragmented story structure, there seems to be a possible connection between the two that is expressed within subtle details. Both claim to see people when taking the subway that fit the description of one another. Whether or not it is actually each other they are seeing is never confirmed, but it’s neither denied.
My question for this week is, “What would this book be if stripped of its unique, fragmented structure?”
I also surprisingly liked the structure of this novel as well! In a way, the short sections made it easier to read compared to previous books that we have read that were made up of extremely long passages and sentences. The different perspectives made the flow of the book feel more “back and forth” and definitely made it entertaining to read. I think if the book didn’t have its unique and fragmented structure, the merging of the two perspectives wouldn’t have been as prominent.
“I’m a little lost.”
You’re not the only one who says they are lost, but seems in fact to have a reasonable grasp on the novel. I reckon you understood more than you think!
What would you say are the ways in which the woman narrator’s story and that of Gilberto Owen reflect each other? What do they have in common?