Falling in love at sixty might sound like fiction, a plot curve for a novel. Yet it feels intensely human when the characters could be any of us. This is the impulse behind Carmen Amoraga’s El corazón imprudente, a 2023 Espasa release that looks at love from an unexpected angle. The story centers on José Manuel, a family doctor who cares for his mother’s relatives, and Tina, a woman whose connections to him come through a string of phone calls. The moment they decide to meet, the hearts involved reveal themselves in a bold, unfiltered way.
My initial attitude toward Amoraga was to hold back. I had just published El Tiempo, another work that drew attention, and when a colleague suggested I wait before reading this new novel, I listened. Years later I realized the wisdom of that choice. Recently, Amoraga spoke in Elda during Library Day celebrations, praising the indispensable role of libraries and the joy of reading. Her remarks were generous with the value of words, and, almost in passing, she introduced her latest book to the audience.
At first glance the plot seems simple: two elderly lovers. But the deeper layers reveal a world where life is never straightforward. This, I believe, is a hallmark of Amoraga’s writing: a keen ability to illuminate the literariness that lives in ordinary, non-fiction lives.
The prose in El corazón imprudente is clear, direct, and easy to follow. It traces the lives of the central figures and their partners, especially José Manuel and Cari. The author employs an omniscient narrator who remains steady, giving the reader a continuous sense of voice and perspective. The narrative unfolds the histories of the characters piece by piece, weaving them together to form a coherent arc. Readers witness a contemporary tale of love and the unexpected impact it can have on two people who begin to see their former worlds in a new light. The narrator also hints at what lies ahead, crafting confident predictions that propel the story forward. This scaffolding enhances the narrative’s momentum and efficiency.
What might have been a sentimental or melodramatic blend instead gains texture through frank, unguarded language. The book does not shy away from raw expressions that anchor the characters in genuine experience. This bold linguistic choice, paired with a common idiom of everyday speech, lends authenticity to the people and their feelings.
Beyond romance, the novel opens up a broad landscape of social themes. It engages with democratic memory, the dynamics of friendship and its potential abuse, and the evolving ties between mothers and daughters. It probes the heart of family life, the limits of what one can fall for, and whether a life truly deserves the happiness it achieves. It poses questions about loving more than one person, about revenge or justice, and about how to live with the consequences of the choices made when love arrives unannounced. The narrator suggests that even when someone appears undeserving of love, the possibility of loving deeply remains a powerful, shaping force.
So why should a reader pick up this novel? It offers a courageous and revealing look at age and love, challenging societal expectations about what it means to grow older while staying vibrant and engaged. It is a book that invites true immersion, a reading experience that can be shared with a partner as one would share life itself. The story invites readers to embrace heart and mind together, to see that love and memory can coexist with a restless, present-tense vitality. In short, it is a work that speaks plainly, warmly, and with a quiet confidence about the humanity at its core.