Andrew Andrew

Hey Everyone! This week's book is "The Lover" by  Marguerite Duras. This book was an interesting read because it was very strange yet it kept me wanting to read more. It felt like one of those forbidden reads where I wanted to see if the nameless 27 year-old Chinese man would end up with 15 year-old Duras. Initially, when I was in the first half of the book,  I definitely thought it was weird that Duras was accepting the advances of a 27 year-old Chinese man. The way they met on the ferry crossing the Mekong river and how, initially hesitant, but still accepted his invitation to give her a ride home on his black  Limousine was very careless of her. I understand her being curious about his wealth and status, however, it felt like she was so absentminded.  Then, I got to around the 50th page and I started to understand more and more why Duras did the actions she did. Understanding more of her background, having a very controlling mother, a very abusive, addicted, gambl...

Maris Luisa Bombal's "The Shrouded Woman" blurs the line between life and death as it starts off with the protagonist, Ana Maria, narrating her own funeral. It follows her reflecting about her memories, her relationships of friends, family and lovers while lying on her deathbed surrounded by the people she knew she was alive.  I felt a bit empathetic and found myself slightly cheering for Ana Maria when she was pursuing her love for her first love, Ricardo. Despite the potential consequences she might face , she still decided to embrace her desires and pursue a romance with him. Her boldness went against the societal norms and expectations set in the mid 20th century which offered her a glimpse to what life could've been. For Ricardo, he was described as a man who was charismatic and alluring, drawing Ana Maria into a deep romance in the beginning, but it was suddenly cut short, leaving her with a sense of longing and loss. Ricardo's departure, driven by his pursu...