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vcriveros's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
pino_sabatelli's review against another edition
3.0
Tre stelle e mezza
La vita di Emilia, figlia di un’eminenza grigia della dittatura militare argentina, viene sconvolta dall’arresto e dalla scomparsa nel nulla del marito Simón. Da quel momento la sua esistenza si riduce a un grumo di dolore inemendabile, esacerbato dal non avere un corpo da seppellire, una tomba su cui piangere. Per lei non c'è più un presente, un passato, tantomeno un futuro, ma solo un tempo sospeso, rubato: il tempo di un purgatorio, appunto.
Per lei, e per le migliaia di famiglie che dovettero affrontare lo stesso orrore, però, è un purgatorio che nulla ha a che fare con la favoletta che ci hanno ammannito generazioni di catechisti, quella specie di sala d'attesa del paradiso cui sono destinate le anime che devono purificarsi per essere degne di andare al cospetto di Dio. Se in questo caso, infatti, l’attesa ha un termine, per quanto ignoto, per le vittime della dittatura argentina (e non solo di quella) si tratta invece di una condizione permanente, perché non è possibile per chi è innocente espiare le colpe del proprio carnefice.
Come spesso mi capita con la letteratura sudamericana, tuttavia, ci sono alcuni aspetti che proprio non riesco ad apprezzare. Mi riferisco, in particolare, al passaggio continuo della narrazione da un registro realistico ad uno quasi onirico. Alcuni episodi, poi, mi sembrano troppo lunghi e poco funzionali (come la storia della scrittrice Nora Balmaceda), mentre altri li ho trovati semplicemente assurdi (su tutti la cura Schroeder).
In sintesi ritengo si tratti di un libro a tratti intenso ma non del tutto riuscito, principalmente per l’utilizzo insistito di un registro metaletterario che, alla fine, risulta incongruo e inutilmente spiazzante.
La vita di Emilia, figlia di un’eminenza grigia della dittatura militare argentina, viene sconvolta dall’arresto e dalla scomparsa nel nulla del marito Simón. Da quel momento la sua esistenza si riduce a un grumo di dolore inemendabile, esacerbato dal non avere un corpo da seppellire, una tomba su cui piangere. Per lei non c'è più un presente, un passato, tantomeno un futuro, ma solo un tempo sospeso, rubato: il tempo di un purgatorio, appunto.
Per lei, e per le migliaia di famiglie che dovettero affrontare lo stesso orrore, però, è un purgatorio che nulla ha a che fare con la favoletta che ci hanno ammannito generazioni di catechisti, quella specie di sala d'attesa del paradiso cui sono destinate le anime che devono purificarsi per essere degne di andare al cospetto di Dio. Se in questo caso, infatti, l’attesa ha un termine, per quanto ignoto, per le vittime della dittatura argentina (e non solo di quella) si tratta invece di una condizione permanente, perché non è possibile per chi è innocente espiare le colpe del proprio carnefice.
Come spesso mi capita con la letteratura sudamericana, tuttavia, ci sono alcuni aspetti che proprio non riesco ad apprezzare. Mi riferisco, in particolare, al passaggio continuo della narrazione da un registro realistico ad uno quasi onirico. Alcuni episodi, poi, mi sembrano troppo lunghi e poco funzionali (come la storia della scrittrice Nora Balmaceda), mentre altri li ho trovati semplicemente assurdi (su tutti la cura Schroeder).
In sintesi ritengo si tratti di un libro a tratti intenso ma non del tutto riuscito, principalmente per l’utilizzo insistito di un registro metaletterario che, alla fine, risulta incongruo e inutilmente spiazzante.
jennylimmy's review
2.0
Although Purgatory contained some interesting — and occasionally exciting — elements, those gears never aligned for me. The general impression that remains with me is one of annoyance: at the lovelorn protagonist, the almost farcical misunderstandings, and at myself for not “getting it.”
The last is generally my experience of books that contain, or verge on, magical realism.
The last is generally my experience of books that contain, or verge on, magical realism.
vcriveros's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Interesante libro que focaliza los desaparecidos de la última dictadura argentina mezclando ficción, auto ficción y fantasía/realismo mágico. Tomás Eloy Martínez tiene talento para retratar personajes horribles, corruptos, brutales y que dan asco, y en este libro Dupuy, el padre de Emilia, ocupa ese lugar, siendo un punto central para contar la historia de la dictadura. Pese a ese talento, hay en su uso de Emilia como protagonista algo agotador, en su falta de profundidad, en que Emilia no es nada más que esposa e hija. El sobre enfasis en el tema de la edad y la obsesión de Emilia por su cuerpo y el paso del tiempo por él se sienten definitivamente como una mirada del narrador y no una voz que genuinamente entiende cuál es el problema de la edad, sobre todo en este libro que podría ser tan sensible al respecto. Emilia como protagonista termina siendo plana, aburrida, sin caracterización, pese a todo lo que hay de su historia y relación con el padre.
Las partes autoficcionales, donde aparece el autor como personaje, son interesantes, pero nuevamente aparecen estos momentos de misoginia en el trato con Emilia y los otros personajes femeninos que lo hacen ligeramente insoportable, pese a que es un personaje mucho más desarrollado. El exilio se aborda prácticamente de manera exclusiva desde su perspectiva, quedando Emilia en el limbo de ser y no ser.
Interesante, pese a todo, y una obra que trata temas importantes, pero difícil de leer a ratos, por cómo se arrastra y la falta de sentido que a veces el texto parece tener, salvo por un enamoramiento medio masturbatorio del narrador, con su propia voz y escritura.
Las partes autoficcionales, donde aparece el autor como personaje, son interesantes, pero nuevamente aparecen estos momentos de misoginia en el trato con Emilia y los otros personajes femeninos que lo hacen ligeramente insoportable, pese a que es un personaje mucho más desarrollado. El exilio se aborda prácticamente de manera exclusiva desde su perspectiva, quedando Emilia en el limbo de ser y no ser.
Interesante, pese a todo, y una obra que trata temas importantes, pero difícil de leer a ratos, por cómo se arrastra y la falta de sentido que a veces el texto parece tener, salvo por un enamoramiento medio masturbatorio del narrador, con su propia voz y escritura.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Dementia, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, War, and Classism
It can be triggering for people with psychosis, as it is hard to see what’s reality and what’s notmizzie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
liralen's review
3.0
I've read a handful of books that could be termed magical realism -- a lot of [a:Isabel Allende|2238|Isabel Allende|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1341879973p2/2238.jpg] and [a:Gabriel García Márquez|13450|Gabriel García Márquez|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1217356613p2/13450.jpg], of course, and things like [b:The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake|7048800|The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake|Aimee Bender|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320541766s/7048800.jpg|7299170]. Magical realism by turns intrigues me and confuses me. It goes in places that realistic fiction simply can't, and, done right, doesn't give you a reason to question it.
This (although it took me approximately forever between receiving my copy and actually finishing the book) is done right, I think. It's a convoluted tale with numerous characters who are seen only through flashback (of a sort) and a long-gone husband who is suddenly back, years later, not a day older than when last seen. It's hard to know, at times, what is real and what is not; eventually you have to more or less take the content at face value and move on to see what happens next.
I wouldn't call Purgatory groundbreaking, or even particularly exciting (is it just that I haven't read enough magical realism to know better, or does magical-realism action tend to have a slow-moving, dreamlike quality?), but it's mystifying and intriguing and left me wanting to understand more of Simón's story while at the same time knowing that not knowing was kind of the point.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
This (although it took me approximately forever between receiving my copy and actually finishing the book) is done right, I think. It's a convoluted tale with numerous characters who are seen only through flashback (of a sort) and a long-gone husband who is suddenly back, years later, not a day older than when last seen. It's hard to know, at times, what is real and what is not; eventually you have to more or less take the content at face value and move on to see what happens next.
I wouldn't call Purgatory groundbreaking, or even particularly exciting (is it just that I haven't read enough magical realism to know better, or does magical-realism action tend to have a slow-moving, dreamlike quality?), but it's mystifying and intriguing and left me wanting to understand more of Simón's story while at the same time knowing that not knowing was kind of the point.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
stacialithub's review
3.0
This book, chillingly, doesn't feel untimely. It's a little too close to home in regards to a government leaning toward nationalism, fascism, gaslighting, etc.
The book deals with the reality, the unreality, the dreams (hoped for, crushed, never lost), the almost-unimaginable life around Argentina's Dirty War. There is a magical element here, but not really magical realism -- it is all too real to think that if your loved one was "disappeared", you would endlessly search, believe, hope that somehow, some way you would find your loved one again. If you do see them years later, is it a break with reality? Has the stress of decades caused hallucinations, alternate realities of the mind? Dementia? Or is it an against-all-odds reunion?
It's not an easy book to read or to follow. Partly it focuses on a woman whose husband becomes a "disappeared" soon after they are married. She never gives up hope, she never stops searching. But her trials are compounded by her family life as her father is a mouthpiece, the master of PR for the regime. She's torn between the harsh reality of knowing what her father does, what the regime does, but also not wanting to believe those truths of her father, not wanting to believe what happened to her husband, not wanting to know the things her country is doing. Her life is in this state of purgatory always. Another element comes into play partway through: the author (the real author or a fictitious version of the real author who himself lived in exile during the military dictatorship?) striking up a relationship/friendship with the main character, their histories overlapping as exiles from Argentina. Is the author telling her story? Is she telling her story to the author? Or is the author creating her reality? Her unreality? It's a bit of a mind-bending, post-modern style of storytelling & an effective way to delve some of the realities of this terrifying, alarming period of Argentine history & the long, murky shadows it has cast for decades.
Not an easy read stylistically or content-wise. But effective at creating the never-ending unease, fear, waiting, loss, anxiety, & societal amnesia that often surrounds the horrific, both on a personal & national level.
The book deals with the reality, the unreality, the dreams (hoped for, crushed, never lost), the almost-unimaginable life around Argentina's Dirty War. There is a magical element here, but not really magical realism -- it is all too real to think that if your loved one was "disappeared", you would endlessly search, believe, hope that somehow, some way you would find your loved one again. If you do see them years later, is it a break with reality? Has the stress of decades caused hallucinations, alternate realities of the mind? Dementia? Or is it an against-all-odds reunion?
It's not an easy book to read or to follow. Partly it focuses on a woman whose husband becomes a "disappeared" soon after they are married. She never gives up hope, she never stops searching. But her trials are compounded by her family life as her father is a mouthpiece, the master of PR for the regime. She's torn between the harsh reality of knowing what her father does, what the regime does, but also not wanting to believe those truths of her father, not wanting to believe what happened to her husband, not wanting to know the things her country is doing. Her life is in this state of purgatory always. Another element comes into play partway through: the author (the real author or a fictitious version of the real author who himself lived in exile during the military dictatorship?) striking up a relationship/friendship with the main character, their histories overlapping as exiles from Argentina. Is the author telling her story? Is she telling her story to the author? Or is the author creating her reality? Her unreality? It's a bit of a mind-bending, post-modern style of storytelling & an effective way to delve some of the realities of this terrifying, alarming period of Argentine history & the long, murky shadows it has cast for decades.
Not an easy read stylistically or content-wise. But effective at creating the never-ending unease, fear, waiting, loss, anxiety, & societal amnesia that often surrounds the horrific, both on a personal & national level.
shaunagm's review
Purgatory is a novel that only partially takes place during the Argentinian “Dirty War”, yet is inescapably about it. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the military dictatorship in Argentina (with the secret, quiet approval of the US government) “disappeared” thousands of activists, students, journalists, etc. Protagonist Emilia Dupuy, the quiet, apolitical daughter of an elite advisor to the dictator, and the widow of one of the desaparecidos, is a cartographer. “I met her because I’m interested in cartographers,” says the narrator/author, “who are very much like novelists in their determination to alter reality.” Emilia lives her entire life believing the improbable – that she will find her husband again. Purgatory plays with the stories we tell to survive when people disappear, and when love, community, and our own moral compasses disappear too.