EW #5

This book was a lot to get through, especially as an audiobook, with the repetition of character’s names and personalities and the fluidness of time in the book. There were so many times I had to re-listen to entire sections of the book to keep track of what was going on. On top of that, the detailed descriptions of depravity (which seem typical of Marquez) were uncomfortable to listen to at times especially when in public. Despite all this, after finishing it I’m left with the desire to pick it up and read it again!

Being able to look back at the book knowing it from beginning to end, I feel I can see it so much clearly. Maybe it was my own lack of insight, but I didn’t pick up on a lot of the key themes until after reading the ending. The word condemned used at the end really rings true for the Buendias - they were wholly unable to resist repeating the mistakes of their ancestors. It wasn’t until the end that I realized time in Macondo was actually turning in a circle!

This was my first time reading magical realism and I found it very entrancing! The matter of fact tone Marquez applies to the mundane and extraordinary was unlike anything I’d ever read before. I’m still not fully able to understand the purpose of this as a literary device though. Reading more about Marquez and the Colombia that he grew up in, I can better see how this book is also a story about colonialism - the banana massacre is a dead giveaway. I’m wondering if the magical realism serves the purposes to put these acts of violence in our analytical crosshairs. Like which is more absurd - a woman floating to heaven, or a banana company claiming they aren’t abusing their workers because they do not exist?

It’s been a long time since a book has made such an impact on me! I’ve spoken about it with pretty much anyone who will listen. I definitely plan to read it again!