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booksonadventures's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
We tell stories of revolutionaries, but not what remains after their fight.
The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán
In The Remainder, three descendants of former political activists struggle with the generational trauma inherited from their parents—the latter now dead, broken, and exiled.
It helps to have a bit of a background on Chile for this one. An over-simplification: In 1973 Augusto Pinochet becomes dictator after a military coup. His 17-year regime results in approx. 130,000 arrests and at least 2,000 deaths or disappearances + countless exiles. In 1988, on the night Pinochet is voted out, this story begins.
The Remainder switches between two narrators, the increasingly unstable Felipe who feels too much + his mirror, the impassive and disconnected Iquela. When family-friend Paloma visits Santiago to repatriate her dead mother from exile, the three find themselves chasing ghosts (both literally and figuratively) when the corpse is diverted to Argentina.
This book packed an impressive punch, with brilliant layering and imagery that captures the hurt and heartbreak of a generation that carries the wounds of their parents, or else risk dishonoring their sacrifices. The narrative can be a bit grotesque, particularly Felipe’s obsession with death, and becomes increasingly complex when drugs are added to the mix. That said, I think the shorter length helped keep the reader invested, and the two narrators offered a bit of balance.
Final thoughts: 👍🏻 Recommended. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.
The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán
In The Remainder, three descendants of former political activists struggle with the generational trauma inherited from their parents—the latter now dead, broken, and exiled.
It helps to have a bit of a background on Chile for this one. An over-simplification: In 1973 Augusto Pinochet becomes dictator after a military coup. His 17-year regime results in approx. 130,000 arrests and at least 2,000 deaths or disappearances + countless exiles. In 1988, on the night Pinochet is voted out, this story begins.
The Remainder switches between two narrators, the increasingly unstable Felipe who feels too much + his mirror, the impassive and disconnected Iquela. When family-friend Paloma visits Santiago to repatriate her dead mother from exile, the three find themselves chasing ghosts (both literally and figuratively) when the corpse is diverted to Argentina.
This book packed an impressive punch, with brilliant layering and imagery that captures the hurt and heartbreak of a generation that carries the wounds of their parents, or else risk dishonoring their sacrifices. The narrative can be a bit grotesque, particularly Felipe’s obsession with death, and becomes increasingly complex when drugs are added to the mix. That said, I think the shorter length helped keep the reader invested, and the two narrators offered a bit of balance.
Final thoughts: 👍🏻 Recommended. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Animal death, Death of parent, and Death
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