Colonel Lágrimas, Carlos Fonseca, 2015. Translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell, 2016.
I learned of Carlos Fonseca through a review I read of his third novel, Natural History. Enjoyed that novel so much I followed up with his second novel, Austral. I praised and recommended both of those books in past posts and Colonel Lágrimas, his debut novel, is no different. It is similar to the others in that is a nonlinear, experimental novel with varying texts and narrators. The main character is not an actual colonel but a retired mathematician. He retreats to a small home in the Pyrenees to conclude his final project, a text that attempts to understand the 20th century through the biographies of several woman, as well as to understand his own life through the creation of a complicated algebraic equation. Delightfully confusing and playful, yet steeped in thought this is a thoroughly enjoyable novel.
How Colonel Lágrimas informs my writing.
This novel is another example of the writing style I emulate. My novel-in-progress follows to some degree the narrative style throughout Fonseca’s book, though I’m not at the point where I can confidently say I am carrying it out successfully. Still, it is helpful to read books like this to learn of various methods for presenting a nonlinear narrative. Also, the novel involves primarily thought: there is very little action and I really admire this. Fonseca introduces some intriguing ideas which are fun and challenging to think about. It never seems dull or tedious though, but rather the liveliness and thought processes of the protagonist push the reader onward.
One idea in the novel that I am still thinking about is when the colonel suggests that life moves in a barbed spiral and an illustration of curled barbed wire is included. I have another project exploring the movement of life through a spiral so this was a welcome diversion. I found the addition of the barbs interesting although I do not necessarily agree with it. But taken in the context of the colonel’s life and experiences I can see why he would label it in such a way. There are lots of informational bits like this throughout the novel and they make it quite engaging.
