Reviews with content warning for Violence - Call Me Cassandra

I've never read a book so sad that is written this way. It's like, I'm dead inside just like the mc of this book. There's so much thought I have about this book but I can't do it justice. So please just read this book.

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megansoetaert's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

i loved loved loved this book. the translation was excellent, the writing so reflective and interesting. i feel like i’ll be thinking about this book for a long time- the writing style, circular/simultaneous storytelling, and trans representation were all so intriguing. although painful, i also liked getting to see this era of cuban history & cuba’s involvement in angola, told from a queer person’s POV.

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denlia's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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sgs's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Beautifully written even in translation. Non-linear and engaging, I wanted so much for Raul that I knew he couldn’t have.
My only complaint: some moments (repeated) were so disturbing and frequent that I almost felt desensitized “oh this is happening to him again”. That sat wrong with me as a reader.

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vigil's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

on an objective level, this is an amazing book. it is well crafted, accomplishes precisely what it set out to do, along with great prose. if anyone asked me about it, i'd readily recommend it.

however, i didn't connect with it like i thought i would. i think it's either the nature of the translation, or of raul's point of view. the book is best described as surreal, keeping you in a quiet haze of introspection and reminiscence, undercut by a swift undercurrent of moments of brutality. part of the hazy quality of the book is the way marcial gala seamlessly transitions between past, present, and future in both subtle and piercing ways. the brutality of this stood out, as well as the occasional moments of sharp emotion from raul, but the haze (the majority of the book) did not especially.

it's hard to put my finger on what exactly would have made the book better for me, but i do think it should've been longer, and perhaps having a different translator / translation style.

this book is filled with triggers, heed all warnings.

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2treads's review

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challenging sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

—We are but shadows set on the canvas of this life, my Zeus... —Raul

—Everyone makes their own ship out of their lives and enters whichever ocean they want— José

There is something special in the way that Gala writes. It was present in The Black Cathedral and it is here as well. The almost disjointed prose does nothing to deter from the poignancy or poetry of the despair in which our main character exists.

Growing up in a macho society with a father that was vocally and physically a representation of the ideals of machismo culture, Raul could not truly express themself and claim their identity. Just like Cassandra of Troy, they are not believed and is cast as someone they are not, because of how they look and twisted societal expectations.

There is a certain intimacy in the way the nareator tells this story, as if they are speaking directly to us and wants us to be as engaged and immersed in Raul/Cassandra's existence. Weaved into this story is the pervasive anti-Blackness that exists within Latin communities.and how it presents in families.

From the very first encounter, you are gripped by the destiny of Raul, you feel the yearning to be free, even ass they carry and share the weight of the time and place of their demise. With vivid prose Gala makes his reader truly experience Raul Iriarte.

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