Reviews

Like This Afternoon Forever by Jaime Manrique

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ridgewaygirl's review against another edition

3.0

This novel tells the story of Lucas, whose mother left his violent father and managed to make a life for the two of them, and of Ignacio, son of indigenous subsistence farmers, both of whom showed an aptitude for learning which led to them being given the opportunity to go to a Catholic boarding school with the promise of being able to attend university and become priests. When they meet, they quickly become close friends, and then discover a love that would keep them together for the rest of their lives.

Colombia during the nineties and early 2000s was a violent place with many rural areas under the control of guerrilla groups and the military matching them in ruthlessness and corruption. As Lucas and Ignacio grow up in Catholic boarding schools and then go to university, Lucas grows stronger in his faith and Ignacio's fierce intelligence has him exploring the history of liberation theology. After they are ordained, they are sent into different neighborhoods in Bogota. Ignacio is sent to the most crime-ridden and poor parish, where he works hard to improve the lives of his parishioners and where he learns about the "false positives," and tries to get that story out into the world. Both his activism and his homosexuality put Ignacio into great danger.

This is a novel with a lot going on, so much so that it sometimes feels like a summary. The passages where Manrique slows down and describes the setting or the relationship between the men, the writing is beautiful and the story a lovely, if melancholic one.

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

like this afternoon forever is a compelling, memorable novel and character study of its 2 protagonists and their relationship thru adolescence and priesthood, set against the backdrop of the colombian civil war and its dark underbelly. lucas and ignacio couldnt be more different yet they find joy and solace in one another, though their relationship is not w/o its challenges, esp those brought abt by the latter.

i find the seminarian education and priesthood undertaken by the main characters to be informational, revelatory and even surprising by the open-secret nature of gay priests, inner politics and business side of things. lucas and ignacio's respective rumination on faith, religion, community and their own purposes are also thought-provoking, as well as helpful to fleshing out the characters into multidimentional ones w/ depth.

manrique demonstrates masterful storytelling thru this book, and tho the end result might be a lil uneven at points, it's nonetheless a melancholic yet moving one that will stay w/ me for a long time to come.

Content Warnings

justno's review

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emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

illustriousnewt's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

mariadesp's review against another edition

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4.0

I liked the story, the deep love and connection the two protagonists shared and I got to learn about the political context of modern Colombia which was very interesting

corkspork's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very interesting and not at all what I expected

senqin's review against another edition

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5.0

But if God is love, he tried to reassure himself, then He understands.

★★★★★

I started this book before going to bed, stayed up all through the night finishing it, and then attempted to write this review through the tears. There are no words adequate enough to express the emotional state I've been left in - “hollowed out,” “devastated,” “lost” don’t really encapsulate it and all sound a bit too…dramatic? Regardless, this is one of the most profound and downright depressing stories I’ve ever read. There is so much brutality and bleakness, but also so many moments of beauty. The characterization in particular here is also just phenomenal. There is no black and white morality, no saints and demons, just humans with all their capacity for good and evil.

As expected from the synopsis, Like This Afternoon Forever does grapple significantly with the concept of religion (specifically Catholicism) among MANY other things like poverty, homosexuality, and the Colombian civil war. However, you really don’t have to be familiar with it to appreciate the story. I have never been a religious person, but still found the themes depicted, the struggles encountered, and the questions raised to be "universal" and incredibly thought provoking.

In the acknowledgement, the author confides that he started, and struggled with, writing this story after the death of his longtime partner. When I saw that statement, all of a sudden I understood the palpable sense of overwhelming grief that seems to permeate the entirety of the book. It absolutely baffles me why Jaime Manrique isn’t swimming in awards and accolades and that this was really just a random borrow from the library for me. I can’t even wholeheartedly recommend Like This Afternoon Forever because it is once again an extremely difficult read, but it’s definitely one that needs to be experienced if you are able to. It will stay with you forever.

Just…wow.