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zyreadsbooks 's review for:
Of Love and Other Demons
by Gabriel García Márquez
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The book truly could have been decent, if not for the last twenty pages. Not amazing, not incredibly insightful, just at least somewhat interesting. But the author, for some reason, decided to introduce a romantic subplot at this stage, and to even make it the central topic of the story. A truly bewildering choice.
I have to begin with the paedophilia, which is not mentioned enough in any review that I have read. A twelve-year-old girl, caged, traumatized, tortured and imprisoned, gets preyed upon by the thirty-six-year-old priest assigned to her case. It's love, and it's the cause of her inevitable demise .
I am not one to ignore these 'unsavoury' elements of a book, as if they are not worthy of judgement, unlike any other topic in the book. We are supposed to think very deeply and seriously of what the author says about society and religion and class, but not think at all of how he writes women or describes little girls? I could never agree with that.
Now, even if you were the sort of reader to do so, you should not be able to do it with this story. The way Gabo writes about Sierva Maria, the way he writes about the priest's desires, it is all too sensual and all too forgiving.
Looking past the paedophilia, the 'romantic' subplot still doesn't make any sense and doesn't add any substance. It is so hurried and forced, Sierva Maria goes from having shown no interest in the priest whatsoever to being absolutely insane with love for him in one single page. Their entire love affair, which I am supposed to believe is some life defining experience, takes place in the span of twenty pages, the last twenty pages of the book, with absolutely no preamble or set up. The only meaningful bits in this section were the few quoted verses of poetry, which were rather lovely. That is it.
I have to begin with the paedophilia, which is not mentioned enough in any review that I have read. A twelve-year-old girl, caged, traumatized, tortured and imprisoned, gets preyed upon by the thirty-six-year-old priest assigned to her case. It's love, and it's
I am not one to ignore these 'unsavoury' elements of a book, as if they are not worthy of judgement, unlike any other topic in the book. We are supposed to think very deeply and seriously of what the author says about society and religion and class, but not think at all of how he writes women or describes little girls? I could never agree with that.
Now, even if you were the sort of reader to do so, you should not be able to do it with this story. The way Gabo writes about Sierva Maria, the way he writes about the priest's desires, it is all too sensual and all too forgiving.
Looking past the paedophilia, the 'romantic' subplot still doesn't make any sense and doesn't add any substance. It is so hurried and forced, Sierva Maria goes from having shown no interest in the priest whatsoever to being absolutely insane with love for him in one single page. Their entire love affair, which I am supposed to believe is some life defining experience, takes place in the span of twenty pages, the last twenty pages of the book, with absolutely no preamble or set up. The only meaningful bits in this section were the few quoted verses of poetry, which were rather lovely. That is it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Slavery