Alfred A. Knopf/Random House, June
2012, 235 pages, $25.95
Take a slice contemporary
history. Combine it in equal measures as a love story, a coming of age story
and a story of the friction and love between parents and children. Now as the
blend rises, see the whole as a tale about Argentina’s Dirty War; see the book
as De Robertis revenge for the exile of her Argentinian ancestors, see the
story as a statement of redemption and rebirth against all possible human
horror and you have Perla.
Sublime writing falls from page
one of this riveting tale. Alone in her parents’ home Perla discovers a
stranger has entered but there is no sign of where or how he got in. De
Robertis describes her protagonist’s sensations: “I could not feel my limbs, I
was all wire and heat, the room crackled with danger.”
Any place you read this novel
breathes with true imagination.
This ability to make her
writing breathe with life guarantees her a place among the great stream of
South American writers such as Borges, Gabrielle Marquez and Isobelle Allende.
For example, writing of
something as commonplace as books, she suggests: “These are not books that open
often, nor do they want to. On the contrary, they seem to say to their own
words, you are captives, we won’t let you out, you cannot fight us.”
The books then become conveyors
of De Robertis’s main theme, the horrific oppression of some Argentinians
during the Dirty War.
It is difficult to write about
one’s love affair with books and writing without sounding false, or syrupy. De
Robertis celebrates her love of language, unselfconsciously, and with elegance.
Consider her description of reading from the lips of the protagonist: “The
words seep right into your mind. They pour into your secret hollows and take
their shape, a perfect fit, like water...”
The symbol of water dominates
the book. Water as grave, water as sustenance, water as imaginative cauldron
and ultimately water as womb.
Breadth of vision and the ability
to construct tension from the first page maintains the drama as the events wind
and twist through each step taken toward the inexorable truth about Perla, her
parents, her lineage and her country. It is a journey well worth taking.
Charlene Jones has two
books of poetry to her credit, as well as several individual poems published in
many North American magazines, and is at work on her first novel. In addition,
Charlene writes for the Musselman’s Lake Residents Association website (here), is the Musselman Lake Correspondent for the
Stouffville Free Press. You can read some of Charlene’s poetry here and here,
reviews here
and here,
and a short personal essay here.
See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative
writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton,
Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas,
Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie,
Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.