This is the latest I’ve ever been with a post. I have a very good reason for that; and it’s not just the excuse of being a “busy mom”. I’m no longer operating as just a stay at home mom anymore. I’ve recently become an elementary school teacher. So, now my days are a little more full and complicated to say the least. It’s been quite the adjustment, and it’s made a lot of my personal time and activities shrink. However, I am determined to keep up with this blog, regardless of how my days are changing. For October’s post, I will be uploading that in November along with November’s designated book. So, I will be reading (listening) to two books in November to catch up.
Now that some housekeeping is out of the way, I can tell you a little more about the book I spent the majority of two months reading. For September, our title was Chilean Poet. Written by Alejandro Zambra, and translated into English by Megan McDowell, I found this story to be so….cozy. Our narrator, Gisela Chipe, helps read McDowell’s translation and takes us on a multigeneracional journey of life, love, and finding purpose in the things you do. We start off with Carla and Gonzalo, two very young and inexperienced teens who lose their connection, gain it back years alter, and then ultimately part ways for good. Gonzalo wants to be a poet. He wants to be important, have a legacy he can be proud of. Carla wants the same things for herself in her own right, but life throws a curve ball towards her when she becomes pregnant with her son Vicente. Vicente is not Gonzalo’s son. But when Carla and he reconnect, Gonzalo takes on the role of step-father to Vicente. It is a role he is more than happy and enthusiastic to take on. From that decision, Carla and Gonzalo begin to create their own version of a modern family. They never marry, but that doesn’t seem to bother anyone. Then intertwine their families, inlducing generations of grandparents, great-grandparents; blending together as much as they can. Carla takes up photography, Gonzalo attempts and succeeds as publishing his first book of poetry – even if it isnt the success he wants it to be. Vicente juggles being a kid. He experiences joys and losses, most notably of the family cat, Darkness. Throughout the story, the focus shifts from character to character, giving us a glimpes of the complexity of everyone’s life, in poignant seasons of their lives. There is heart break, there is embarassment…but it’s all entangled int he same theme of life doing exactly what it will always do….carry on.
Gonzalo and Carla separate one last final time. With this breakup, Gonzalo feels an immesnce amount of guilt towards his relationship with Vicente. He’s spent the early parts of their relationship trying to figure out how to perfectly identify their relationship; is he the stepfather? Is he just Carla’s boyfriend, and Carla just so happens to have a son? How does Vicente view him? What does their relationship mean to Vicente? It is such a tedious balance act for Gonzalo, and the moment his future has the opportunity to change, that balance is lost. Carla and Gonzalo part ways, they move on with their lives. Vicente grows up, and struggles with the idea of going to college – barely even considering it as an option. He’s become a poet, just like Gonzalo, running around in the same cirlces his would-be step-father once did. Carla puruses photography, a hobby she turns into a small business when Gonzalo leaves for New York City to further his education and career oportunities. Everyone’se life simply keeps moving. And I suppose that is the poetry of it all. No matter the type of change that come their way, our characters just keep rolling with them. They take them in stride; they move on and move forward.
For me, this book represented posibility and inevitability. They say that the only constant in life is change. This story perfectly encapsulates this. As I stated above, I found this book to be very cozy and comforting. Set against the Chilean poetry scene, it marries reality and deep meaning so intently. And even though I took so long reading this title, I don’t feel bad about that. Spending a long time with these stories was exactly how it was supposed to be read, I think. Poetry is an extremely intimate and personal thing. You are supposed to take your time with it, and it’s supposed to stay with you for however long you allow it to. That’s how I felt reading this book. It was almost like I was hearing these stories from the characters themselves, meeting them in person on my own travels. With how intimate the stories are, and how open and honest the characters are, it is not a wonder to me why the novel feels so personal and real.
If you are looking for a story that is simple, yet still so complex in its emotions and story lines, I think this would be the perfect pick. I definitely think this will be a story I return to from time to time, just revisit the old and familiar friends I was introduced to upon the first read through. Thanks for being patient with this post. It has been an incredibly hectic month, but I am determined to make sure that I roll out two posts this month. November will be an easier month, I believe. But, as always, thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you take this recommendation to heart and add this title to your TBR list soon.
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