Hey everyone, we have finally made it to the final week of novels for RMST 202!!! I am so relieved this semester is coming to an end. For the final week of books, I chose “Faces in the Crowd” by Valeria Luselli. This book was poignant, challenging and misleading all at the same time. Firstly, I want to note that even though this was not my favourite read, the aspects I did not enjoy definetly served a purpose to the message of the book. After finishing this book, I really thought about how we initially judge people and aren’t usually aware of all the layers to their lives after one meeting. A bit of a personal connection, but it made me think of my parents and how little I know of them outside of them being parents. Even with all their children being adults, in our family things are usually quite hidden away, so there are honestly so many questions I have about my parent’s identities and what is fiction or truth to them.

Now talking about the book itself, the part that most relates to my bigger thoughts and concepts I drew from the book is when she started recalling her past life in New York City and the research she was doing on Gilberto Owen. Her life in New York before her husband and children is completely different, and especially her children, they have no idea their mother has ever even experienced anything like this. The narrator feels constantly neglected and misunderstood in her routine and so she finds something to break her mundane routine, by recalling a time where she was much more free.

Her work in New York City primarily was to translate the Mexican poet Gilberto Owen. However, this quickly becomes the principal thing in her life, to the point where she starts fabricating an entire backstory for the poet and taking other people’s works as well. This made me think about Felix from the Book of Chameleons and how she was also constructing people’s pasts as well. In this though, she is also defining herself by giving so much time and dedication to her work, that the lines of reality versus make belief are blurred, and we readers are a bit confused.

Then, the book decides to get more weird and now all of a sudden we learn Owen’s perspective when he is riding the subway and when he sees the woman as well. Owen’s story in this novel at the end is conflicting and maybe different to what we expect from him while the woman is writing about it. From his perspective, it seems like he wants to fade away actually and we learn more about his struggles with his illness. This makes the readers question how real is Gilberto and what does his fictious story mean to the woman narrator.

Overall, this book was challenging for me to read, but I like that there were so many interpretations that could apply to the book. I liked the woman narrator as well because I think she emulated the complexity of lacking a personhood when becoming a mother and the types of things people may do when they want to feel like themselves. They may become obssessed with a poet, which is ironic because that isn’t yourself (or is it???)

Discussion Questions:

1. Since the novel includes events from Mexico City and New York City, do we think the different settings also were intentional to highlight the vastly different lives the woman has lived?
2. Going back to my personal connection, do you think there is something huge your parents have done before that you have no idea about?