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A review by olya_hakob
Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo
Pedro Páramo is considered one of the most important works of Latin American literature and a formative influence on Magic Realism. Importantly, as the narration cannot unambiguously be interpreted as reality, the novel cannot be cleanly classified as Magic Realism.
One aspect that is striking about this novel is the setting and the imagery. It's easy to get immersed in the world that the author tried to convey, although at times it was hard to follow which story is being told. Despite the overall gloomy tone, there are ingenious pieces of humor, such as this passage:
That town sits on the coals of the earth, at the very mouth of hell. They say that when people from there die and go to hell, they come back for a blanket
In terms of content, do not expect any heartwarming or feel-good story. This is a bluntly honest book about the loss of hope, hope that had once fuelled people's lives and then ended up succumbing to the harsh reality. The most unsettling thing was that the death (of hope) does not end anything but leads to a dragging and paralytic "purgatory" existence. Not a perspective anybody would like to imagine let alone encounter but something that unfortunately does happen.
Finally, the character of Pedro Páramo himself. He seems an epitome of a self-absorbed, incompetent, and authoritarian leader, somebody who might just "cross his arms" and let people starve. A leader whose unwise decisions might destroy the fates of countless people. A leader who forces people into uncomfortable moral dilemmas: think of the priest that had to act against his moral compass because "prayers don't fill a stomach".
Overall, a very gloomy yet important novel full of vivid descriptions and thought-provoking turns.
One aspect that is striking about this novel is the setting and the imagery. It's easy to get immersed in the world that the author tried to convey, although at times it was hard to follow which story is being told. Despite the overall gloomy tone, there are ingenious pieces of humor, such as this passage:
That town sits on the coals of the earth, at the very mouth of hell. They say that when people from there die and go to hell, they come back for a blanket
In terms of content, do not expect any heartwarming or feel-good story. This is a bluntly honest book about the loss of hope, hope that had once fuelled people's lives and then ended up succumbing to the harsh reality. The most unsettling thing was that the death (of hope) does not end anything but leads to a dragging and paralytic "purgatory" existence. Not a perspective anybody would like to imagine let alone encounter but something that unfortunately does happen.
Finally, the character of Pedro Páramo himself. He seems an epitome of a self-absorbed, incompetent, and authoritarian leader, somebody who might just "cross his arms" and let people starve. A leader whose unwise decisions might destroy the fates of countless people. A leader who forces people into uncomfortable moral dilemmas: think of the priest that had to act against his moral compass because "prayers don't fill a stomach".
Overall, a very gloomy yet important novel full of vivid descriptions and thought-provoking turns.