vinicoelho 's review for:

The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector
5.0
challenging mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

 José Castello said of Lispector's work:   "Be careful with Clarice, it's not literature, it's witchcraft". Her writing has this habit of taking over the reader like a spell, dilating space and time to fit the infinite and putting words to thoughts that had previously only been feelings.  

Reading Clarice Lispector's work is almost a visceral experience. Like a literary Magic Eye puzzle, the words at face value are confusing and distorted but you eventually enter a hypnotic, trance-like state where the images she creates start to form in your mind. The novel takes place when the protagonist G.H. crushes a roach, but that almost does not matter. Over the course of the work, Lispector envelopes the reader in a fugue state where she examines reality, morality, identity, religion, and many other themes through a stream of consciousness journey to nowhere.  

Truly a tough read, Lispector's wording is circular and dense but therein lies the reward; if you can unfocus your eyes in just the right way the images line up to form something magical.

(Also, as always, it is such a treat to read her work in the original Portuguese. She exhibits a prosody rivaled only in poetry, weaving not just words together, but sounds that only elevate the mesmerizing quality of her work)