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nurostep's review
4.0
”I’d be free, as most men are free, without a thought of being free.”
The Family of Pascual Duarte is, to say the least, completely and utterly unhinged and stomach-turning. The novel is written in the form of a memoir manuscript written by the title character who is in prison after the events he comes to describe depicting what we are allowed to witness as his descent into murder and madness following a birth into less-than-fortunate circumstances. We as readers get to see inside the head of a man living in the Spanish countryside with issues ranging from general anger management to trust issues to a knife-prone reactive nature.
Cela’s “tremendismo” style is on full display in the gritty knife-fights and disgusting thought processes of our murderous main character, who has some horrific thoughts in response to actions many of us wouldn’t be able to imagine. There are also a couple of notes and letters that sandwich the story at its beginning and end providing some context on the man, and those were an interesting addition to what we come to find may be the perspective of an unreliable (and insane) narrator. The prose is nothing to sneeze at and there are some moments that I had to reread for the prosaic value, and others I had to reread in awe of Cela’s skill at provoking me to pure disgust at Pascual’s actions and thoughts. A stunning read and a perfect example that not every protagonist needs to be likeable.
The Family of Pascual Duarte is, to say the least, completely and utterly unhinged and stomach-turning. The novel is written in the form of a memoir manuscript written by the title character who is in prison after the events he comes to describe depicting what we are allowed to witness as his descent into murder and madness following a birth into less-than-fortunate circumstances. We as readers get to see inside the head of a man living in the Spanish countryside with issues ranging from general anger management to trust issues to a knife-prone reactive nature.
Cela’s “tremendismo” style is on full display in the gritty knife-fights and disgusting thought processes of our murderous main character, who has some horrific thoughts in response to actions many of us wouldn’t be able to imagine. There are also a couple of notes and letters that sandwich the story at its beginning and end providing some context on the man, and those were an interesting addition to what we come to find may be the perspective of an unreliable (and insane) narrator. The prose is nothing to sneeze at and there are some moments that I had to reread for the prosaic value, and others I had to reread in awe of Cela’s skill at provoking me to pure disgust at Pascual’s actions and thoughts. A stunning read and a perfect example that not every protagonist needs to be likeable.
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