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A review by thebobsphere
The Wind that Lays Waste by Selva Almada
5.0
I have heard a lot about Selva Almada and , as common sense dictates, I bought two of her books and, I read them.
The Wind that Lays Waste is her debut and it has a ton of elements I like in novels; the cruelty of nature, introspective dives into character’s minds and an economic prose, which reveals many themes.
Reverend Pearson and his daughter Leni are on the way to visit another pastor and their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Through some luck they are picked up and taken to mechanic Gringo Brauer and his adoptive son, Tapioca.
Throughout one day, The parson puts Tapioca in a religious conundrum, we find out what happened to Leni’s mother, there are glimpses of Tapioca’s past, explorations of parenthood , faith and… fate, The climax of the novella happens when a physical storm creates a metaphysical one between all four characters.
Using sparse prose, Selva Almada manages to get a lot. The characters are memorable and have depth and themes just emerge out of the narrative, not to mention the storm which shakes the calm, yet nervy pace of the book. The Wind That Lays Waste is, surreptitiously, a busy book.
As a first taste of Selva Almada, it was a good one and I do hope that the rest of her work (so far it’s three books) will be translated into English.
The Wind that Lays Waste is her debut and it has a ton of elements I like in novels; the cruelty of nature, introspective dives into character’s minds and an economic prose, which reveals many themes.
Reverend Pearson and his daughter Leni are on the way to visit another pastor and their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Through some luck they are picked up and taken to mechanic Gringo Brauer and his adoptive son, Tapioca.
Throughout one day, The parson puts Tapioca in a religious conundrum, we find out what happened to Leni’s mother, there are glimpses of Tapioca’s past, explorations of parenthood , faith and… fate, The climax of the novella happens when a physical storm creates a metaphysical one between all four characters.
Using sparse prose, Selva Almada manages to get a lot. The characters are memorable and have depth and themes just emerge out of the narrative, not to mention the storm which shakes the calm, yet nervy pace of the book. The Wind That Lays Waste is, surreptitiously, a busy book.
As a first taste of Selva Almada, it was a good one and I do hope that the rest of her work (so far it’s three books) will be translated into English.