i take it all back. i read further, rodriguez is brilliant. wow.

black hole?

At the moment, I’m somewhat torn as to my opinion of Carmen Rodriguez. Possibly, because I’m such a huge Alvarez fan that no one really stands a chance in my books…. possibly because I just don’t find the emotions evoked by the work of authors such as Cisneros and Alvarez as prominent in that of Rodriguez. I definitely felt for the mother in “Black Hole” but not in the heart-wrenching, tear-your-guts-out kind of way I felt throughout Woman Hollering Creek. There’s seems to be something missing for me and I am at a loss to figure out what it is. I’m hoping that as I read on my feelings will change. What is interesting, however, is that like Leanna, I read the introduction beforehand and feel as though it may have ruined it for me. I feel like there was a lot of buildup... a lot of talk, and not enough follow through. Rodriguez sounds as though she is a little too pleased with her work, whereas it is fairly typical of authors to feel as though they’ll never quite perfect their work; that there’s always room for improvement. I wasn’t 100% on board with the whole “black whole” metaphor and found the ending unsatisfactory. I definitely wanted to know whether they moved back to Chile or not. I’m going to attempt to keep reading with an open mind. I’m sure my opinion will change! I’m looking forward to meeting Rodriguez in person. On second thought, I hope no one shows her these blogs!

Las Garcías

I would have to say my favourite story in the latter half of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents was "The Drum". I felt Alvarez's use of the kitten as a metaphor for the García girls quite wonderful. As scholar William Luis has put it "like the kitten, Yolanda was also uprooted from her nest, her childhood (perhaps seven years too early) in the Dominican Republic. And the drum beats meant to disguise the meows of the kitten represent a natural language and an imposed one, which in the years to come would cover her accent" (Luis 847). I thought it was very significant that Alvarez chose to end with this story, as it painted such a perfect picture of the pain and trauma of being uprooted from everything one has ever known and flung into a confusing and foreign environment.

The change in narrative voice near the end of the novel from third person to first person is a significant stylistic technique. There is a definite distance between narrator and reader in the instance of third person narration. First person narration, however, is a much more personal and intimate representation of events and thus the transition allows for the reader to feel a much stronger connection with the girls. The sentiments expressed are therefore much more effectively communicated to the reader and the sense of pain and bewilderment is emphasized stylistcally.

That Garcia Girl

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is most definitely a novel that I would read of my own accord. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every page and got to really take my time with it, as I began reading weeks ago. Alvarez has a brilliant way with words that is not the least bit pedantic. She has an ability to create countless similes and metaphors that fit perfectly with the feeling she aims to evoke in the reader. This is evident in the story where Rudy Elmenhurst’s parents approve of his relationship with Yolanda because they felt it “should be interesting for him to find out about people from other cultures. It bothered [Yo] that they should treat [her] like a geography lesson for their son” (Alvarez 97). Alvarez' style is so wonderfully modern, casual and comfortable that the reader can not help but b captivated. It is truly comforting to read, in that I found the characters to be exceedingly relatable. It is interesting that although I have never experienced anything close to the hardships of immigration, I felt such a strong connection with these girls whilst reading, particularly with Yolanda. Perhaps it is the incredibly strict and overprotective Catholic parents we have in common, but on several occasions during Yo’s stories I felt as though I was reading the story of my own life.

Although I loved every story, I believe the two that struck me to the core were “Joe” and “The Rudy Elmenhurst Story.” The former for its brilliant metaphorical use of language and the latter because I have encountered men exactly like Rudy Elmenhurst, way back when I was almost as sheltered and naïve as Yolanda. I really loved the manner in which Alvarez remarks that as John handed her the irises “she could not make out his words. They were clean, bright sounds, but they meant nothing to her” (Alvarez 76). Yolanda goes on to reduce their verbal communication to the word “babble” and only then does she believe that they can attempt a fresh start: “maybe now they could start over, in silence” (Alvarez 77). This ironic presentation of language as something that complicates communication to the point of no return was, I thought, a fantastic insight. So often we rely on language, words created by others that can never completely and truly express the intricate specificity of the feelings we intend to convey. I believe that in “Joe,” Alvarez intends to express the futility and insufficiency of borrowed words to mend the personal issues that stem from places much deeper than the surface upon with language floats.