For this week’s reading I think it is very important to note and acknowledge the presence of De la Parra’s intent of portraying aspects of her own life in this series of memoirs. Even though these memoirs are not hers, but rather from the childhood of Mama Blanca, I was able to notice a very beautiful way in which De la Parra’s presence was there.

One of the first things and probably one that mostly stood out to me right at the beginning of the novel was the foreword, in which we can read how Mama Blanca “gifted” her memories to the fictional writer. But it wasn’t just anyone who Mama Blanca trusted her childhood memories to, but rather someone who she saw as a child of her own. We can read about this maternal love and warmth in the foreword, which was something that really spoke to me. It reminded me a lot of my great-grandmother, who spent her last years always gifting me even the smallest of bracelets whenever I went to visit her. Her love spread throughout the house and every time she would gift me something of hers, talk to me about her past, or teach me life lesson she learned through her life, it felt as if she was trusting her memories would live through me. When I was reading this foreword, I was reminded me of these life instances I shared with my great-grandmother, and really touched my heart.

Another thing that stood out to me and which I found very interesting was the strong presence of women throughout the novel. Mama Blanca’s memoirs are accompanied by the presence of her five other sisters. I believe it is very powerful how the portrayal of mundane activities performed by women during the time when the dictatorship of a man was worrying an entire country, really shows us another slice of life. How the six sisters innocently lived and enjoyed life in a rural area far away from “big” problems was really endearing to read. It reminds me an awful lot of this “matriarchal” side of life in which I grew up, as my grandmother was the one who called the shots in her household, and my mother was a single mother. But following this empowering part of life in which girls grow and live her life to later become women, there is a sorrowful part.

For example, when Mama Blanca payed a lot of attention to small details such as her hair. How she had to be beautiful, which was portrayed as a task rather than something she did out of joy and pleasure. This part was very vulnerable, as we woman tend to hide these insecurities and pretending they are not there.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and I think it helped me connect and reminisce parts of my life I seem to have been forgetting.