From the books we’ve read so far, I can definitely say this stood out to me, and I think it is due to the unique narrative voice Bombal has used alongside the depth. The narrative style and structure, especially its beginning after her death, are very unique. The way her awareness lies in her corpse and the memories she thinks about intersect makes the narration seem fluid, with no rigid sense of time. Normally, death is seen as this end, scary, and stoic thing, but here it doesn’t make death feel like the end of something; it seems as if she’s still living through life just through a coffin. Although dead, she hears family and friends who come to visit her coffin, which triggers these memories, which I feel is a very refreshing perspective.
One thing I loved about Ana Maria, reminiscing on her life, was the way she recreated it through pieces of memories. This shows that it’s not just what happens in our lives that shapes us and our identity, but more so, how it’s remembered. Her reflection comes off as very introspective and emotional, which reflects her experiences. There was also no linear timeline as to which memories necessarily followed. It was this constant shift between her monologue and others’ perspectives that truly gave us/ the reader, an overall perspective of who she is and how she was perceived, which I think is key in understanding an individual as a whole. The way it was written, it truly felt like we were getting a visual glimpse into how her life was, which I find to be so moving. It really isn’t a book that you read to find out what happens at the end, like a book you seek answers for, but more so to make you slow down, feel different emotions, reflect on life and perhaps understand how life may be coming towards the end and what is actually important at the end, being loved and understood.
That being said, I love how relationships/marriage were also portrayed in this book. Her relationships with Ricardo fascinated me the most. Her relationship with Ricardo portrayed this passionate young love and the intense emotions that came with making her feel a sense of longing for it, yet also loss as he abandoned her. I feel like much of what was described about their relationship is relatable, especially through the lens of our generation; it can be seen as a huge ‘red flag’. However, I also loved how Ana Maria comes to see the value he actually had when he shows up for her at the end, despite his actions. It feels like she is realizing and made to see things that she would have never seen or heard when alive.
Reading about how Ana Maria can fully reflect and think about her emotions after death made me think of something I’d really like to discuss: how much do we actually ever reflect and understand our lives when we’re still alive?
Best,
Tripti
2 replies on “Depth after Death? – Bombal”
“It feels like she is realizing and made to see things that she would have never seen or heard when alive.” Yes, and I find it interesting to compare it with Proust, for example. Both the perspective of a child and that of someone who has already died are extreme viewpoints, so to speak, for understanding the past. But there’s also the question of who uses writing to rediscover themselves and who has been denied that opportunity.
Hello Tripti,
Great question! I think that other posts have brought it up, but its important that she’s not omniscient in death, knowing other characters inner thoughts or all behaviour they did. She just knows what was told to her after the fact, or what they said, or what she imagines they were feeling at the time. So while the idea of her narrating from a literal corpse after death (the first death) is fantastical, what she’s doing is actually very grounded in human experience, relatable even. But I’d say in answer to the question we don’t really spend that much time reflecting, we certainly don’t have all the time in the world like she does because she’s dead, we have to think about today or tomorrow. So you can possibly view the novel as a call to action, then, or a warning to us because we only think like that: if we don’t start reflecting on our behaviour now, by the time we can, it’ll be too late.