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A review by illustrated_librarian
It Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
'"Each of us belongs to the place where our dead are buried." As I observed the shorn grass around her grave, I understood that my mother, my only dead, tied me to this land.'
Adelaida Falcón stands over the open grave of her mother in Caracas, Venezuela, and bids goodbye to the only family she's ever known. The city is falling to ruin amid a revolution: the currency is worthless, tear gas rains down on protestors, and food is scarce. Grieving both her mother and her country, Adelaida faces harsh choices if she's to survive the anarchy raging outside.
The escalating violence and privations faced by Venezuelans make this read like a dystopia, though it reflects real events. Among the nightmarish present, Adelaidas's memories of a happy childhood and a prospering Venezuela that welcomed immigrants from all over the world seem impossibly far away.
The novel explores loss, of loved ones but also of the sense of safety in our homeland many of us take for granted. Once this is eroded, other losses follow easily: the loss of belongings, a home, memories, and identity. It also examines what fills those empty spaces. Police are replaced by bands of vigilantes, a cherished home becomes a rebel base, identity papers are forged, lies are told to shore up this fakery. How many replacements can you make in a life before, ship of Theseus-like, you're left questioning your original identity, and if this means anything at all?
Sainz Borgo's background is in journalism which shone through in her concise but closely-observed snapshot of the turbulent revolution, and the world before it, but it felt like this came at the expense of more character development of Adelaida. As the story progressed it lost some drive, instead having Adelaida move mechanically from event to event. There are still some very moving moments, especially where the mother-daughter relationship is the focus, and though I'd have liked more of that side of the story it remained an impactful read about a piece of history that could be lifted from the very bleakest dystopian novel.
Adelaida Falcón stands over the open grave of her mother in Caracas, Venezuela, and bids goodbye to the only family she's ever known. The city is falling to ruin amid a revolution: the currency is worthless, tear gas rains down on protestors, and food is scarce. Grieving both her mother and her country, Adelaida faces harsh choices if she's to survive the anarchy raging outside.
The escalating violence and privations faced by Venezuelans make this read like a dystopia, though it reflects real events. Among the nightmarish present, Adelaidas's memories of a happy childhood and a prospering Venezuela that welcomed immigrants from all over the world seem impossibly far away.
The novel explores loss, of loved ones but also of the sense of safety in our homeland many of us take for granted. Once this is eroded, other losses follow easily: the loss of belongings, a home, memories, and identity. It also examines what fills those empty spaces. Police are replaced by bands of vigilantes, a cherished home becomes a rebel base, identity papers are forged, lies are told to shore up this fakery. How many replacements can you make in a life before, ship of Theseus-like, you're left questioning your original identity, and if this means anything at all?
Sainz Borgo's background is in journalism which shone through in her concise but closely-observed snapshot of the turbulent revolution, and the world before it, but it felt like this came at the expense of more character development of Adelaida. As the story progressed it lost some drive, instead having Adelaida move mechanically from event to event. There are still some very moving moments, especially where the mother-daughter relationship is the focus, and though I'd have liked more of that side of the story it remained an impactful read about a piece of history that could be lifted from the very bleakest dystopian novel.