This week, at the beginning of autumn, with warmth and work, I wanted to re-read something that would return me to the realm of love as an a priori progression, that would place me at that intermediate level, in that reality that we sometimes do not share. It’s the time between the ending phase and the beginning phase, which makes us feel more emotional and, why not, a little tired and vulnerable. That’s why we want to re-read the things we know will re-create us. So at first glance at the shelf, there it was. Approaching reading a Nadal Prize-winning novel is always guaranteed to be a surprise; But by the way, that doesn’t mean you’re passionate about it or that you love it (just look at the list of winning novels). But I am interested in this award because it gives preference to things that may sound new and, above all, quality, without delving into many years of acquisitions and mergers of publishers.
This is the case of Un amor (Círculo de Lectores, 2018), the winning novel of the 2018 edition by author Alejandro Palomas, which I have not had the pleasure of reading, although he has also published other novels from the same family. To read. There are so many writers and so many novels!
Written in the first person, the frame consists of a family consisting of Amalia, a seventy-year-old divorced albino mother, her three adult children (Silvia, Emma, and Fer, the younger brother and the story’s narrator), and their partners. ; During the real time period of Emma’s wedding to her girlfriend, she is accompanied by the always absent father and Aunt Inés, one of Amalia’s friends. Everyday life with traditional touches.
During this event, Fer talks about the last years of the family after her parents’ divorce. We witness a complete depiction of children trying to be as happy as they can in today’s Barcelona and, above all, a complete anthological presentation of Amalia, a mother. He is at the center of the entire story and the success of the work, because it can be said that this is a character novel, given his open character, almost morbid naivety, positive outlook on everything and lack of motivational filters. He exudes a humor that entertains and delights the reader, considering his age. The “empowerment” and “embedding” scene in the doctor’s office (pp. 20-24) is memorable because it shows the use of new words and the meanings attached to them, which I derived for my classes. relate to social and cultural context; funny enough to make you laugh. The success of the novel is undoubtedly Amalia. And in this context, knowing the author’s complaint about the sexual abuse she experienced in her childhood, inflicted by a teacher and a clergyman, Amalia’s relationship and importance as a mother, and of course, acquires even more significance and emotion in this rereading. writes with you.
The novel reads well and quickly, but Alejandro Palomas uses too long a sentence, although it is perfectly readable; example p. It can be 82 words. 17 out of 69 or 107. Any of these can serve as a master lesson in how to use punctuation in Spanish. On the contrary, the deletion of the use of the subjunctive mood sneaks into the writing, indicating the decline of this verbal form in peninsular Spanish in almost all registers (e.g., p. 334) and is often attested to as in novels. The family’s introspection and repetition of topics and emotions, far from seeming unnecessary, strengthen empathy with the recipient.
So why should you read this novel? Because of the fiction of a character like Amalia (who I have already included in my gallery of literary singularities) who evokes a mixture of love, positivity, sadness and humor in the reader; because it deals with issues that affect us all directly and even more so at certain ages. And because it feels really good to read such a novel. On this occasion, Nadal did not disappoint.