This collection of six short novellas by celebrated Puerto Rican author Ferré revolves around the extended family of Rose Monroig Arizmendi and reveals much about gender, race, and class in Puerto Rican culture, Boricua identity, and the island's singular relationship with the mainland. The first half of the novellas deals with the Arizmendis: "Irene's betrayal" acquaints the reader with the clan and the island setting and foreshadows much of what is to come; "Angela's flight" relates the story of a beauty married to an unfaithful mama's boy; and in "Julia's penumbras," Rose's family becomes embroiled in the island's political struggles.
Rosario Ferré está en el "Top 5" de mis escritores favoritos. Admiro y aprecio su voz narrativa, el lenguaje que utiliza, las complejas dimensiones de sus personajes y el trasfondo sociopolítico de sus historias.
I purchased this as a birthday gift for a friend who has his PhD in Spanish language studies from Univ of Puerto Rico. I thought the gift fitting since the author is a daughter of one of Puerto Rico's former governors.
Aunque muchas de las situaciones descritas se conforman a la realidad isleña, otras no. Es muy fácil discernir cuándo la autora escribe partiendo de sus propias vivencias, y cuándo está echando mano de suposiciones.
Siempre he sido fanático de la escritura de Ferré y este nuevo libro es todo lo que esperaba. No sabría decir si es una novela u otra cosa, porque de seguro no lo es.
