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A review by snowwhitehatesapples
Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel García Márquez
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
I read but I refuse to process because what in the bizarre long-winded pedophilic fantasy is this? Of Love and Other Demons ? More like a touch of the sacred and heavy on the profane!
My disgust aside, the pedophilic relationship between the 12-year-old Sierva and the 36-year-old priest wasn’t unexpected. This is set in the 18th century — a time when child marriages were common in many parts of the world — after all, but considering that this book was written in the 20th century, I’d had greater expectations. Perhaps, a more nuanced exploration of this immoral romance between a man of God and a girl who has been deemed demonic. Or, greater emotions to really bring out how human they both are, despite everything.
Yet, Of Love and Other Demons is no more than another meandering, blandly passive and superficial story. Coherently executed and containing many promising themes and notions, yes, but lacking significant depth to masterfully pull off an impactful tale of how love is akin to madness and demonic possession. The main characters are frustratingly one-dimensional, which in turn, takes the life away from the beautiful prose. The many promising themes and notions are also left as is, hence the superficiality of it all. Still, this was better than the other Márquez book I read so I guess it wasn’t a wasted reading experience.
I read but I refuse to process because what in the bizarre long-winded pedophilic fantasy is this? Of Love and Other Demons ? More like a touch of the sacred and heavy on the profane!
My disgust aside, the pedophilic relationship between the 12-year-old Sierva and the 36-year-old priest wasn’t unexpected. This is set in the 18th century — a time when child marriages were common in many parts of the world — after all, but considering that this book was written in the 20th century, I’d had greater expectations. Perhaps, a more nuanced exploration of this immoral romance between a man of God and a girl who has been deemed demonic. Or, greater emotions to really bring out how human they both are, despite everything.
Yet, Of Love and Other Demons is no more than another meandering, blandly passive and superficial story. Coherently executed and containing many promising themes and notions, yes, but lacking significant depth to masterfully pull off an impactful tale of how love is akin to madness and demonic possession. The main characters are frustratingly one-dimensional, which in turn, takes the life away from the beautiful prose. The many promising themes and notions are also left as is, hence the superficiality of it all. Still, this was better than the other Márquez book I read so I guess it wasn’t a wasted reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment
Minor: Excrement