“the day burns hours, minutes, seconds” (177)
Similar to the “day,” I found that this book seemed to burn hours, minutes, and seconds of my time whenever I went to pick it up. Each time I just couldn’t put it down! When comparing this piece to Combray and Nadja, the three are almost not even comparable (since I enjoyed this one THAT much more).
One major aspect of this book that I picked up on was the repetition. Bombal loves certain words and phrases and often makes reference to them multiple times throughout the book (including the quote I began this post with). Some certain words that stood out to me were: remember, come, falling, candles, and lastly, breasts. The frequent mention of breasts was one that definitely caught me off guard, as it is not a word I commonly see in literature, especially not used so liberally.
Aside from the repetition, which I did quite enjoy (as it allowed me to connect new scenes to old ones that used similar language or phrasing), I also absolutely adored the rich descriptions and metaphors. I just think that Bombal writes so beautifully, many lines I would find myself repeating out loud after tracing them with my eyes, just to process them further and consider how I would feel hearing such beautiful ideas out loud. This all probably sounds quite cheesy, but it really is how I felt! One part that touched me especially was the death of Silva and gaining Maria Griselda’s perspective on her own beauty. I truly felt myself feeling bad for her, but also, unfortunately, understanding the reasoning of the actions of her parents and those around her.
That said, one downside of this book was just how confusing the entanglement of family members and relationships were. I wish the book came with a family tree or love diagram built in! Even by the end of the book I am not sure I even fully grasp what the bigger picture of the web of characters is, but I tried my best to draw it out haha!
I have so much more to say about this book, so many sections that humoured me, endless lines that touched me, and many words that still ring in my brain. I wonder though, was all of this repetition intentional, or maybe just that there are certain words that Bombal was drawn to? Do you think that her repetition of the words “remember” and “come” was purposeful? If so, what do you think she wanted to highlight or succeed in with this repeated use?
I think it’s great that you made that diagram! But I want to return to another topic you mention: that of repetition. Do you think it has to do with the proximity of this novel to poetry, both in the structure and in the way of using language in general?
Absolutely! When reading this book I kept thinking of how it reminded me of poetry, with the heavy use of literary devices and the emphasis of carefully selected language. I loved this aspect of the book.
Ha! I 100% drew a little family tree in the back of my book! 🙂
Love the diagram! Also your post was a fun read, I totally agree that this book was wayyy easier to read then Nadja and Combray. Now for your question, I personally think that it was intentional, maybe to give a sort of dream like quality one might feel after then. In her repetition, maybe Bombals goal was to help us envision the vagueness one might feel in death.
I love your idea! I completely agree.