Amulet by Roberto Bolaño
This week we read the novel "Amulet", written by Roberto Bolano. I found this book to be fairly easy to follow in terms of language and writing style, although unfortunately I did catch myself having a hard time staying focused at times, as the subject matter wasn't my favourite. I found some parts to be a bit bland, while other parts kept me engaged and wanting more information. This novel follows the story of Auxilio Lacouture, a poet living in Mexico. Despite being from Uruguay, she holds the title of "Mother of Mexican Poetry". Auxilio recounts memories and experiences from her life in Mexico while hiding in the bathroom from an invasion. She spends 12 days cooped up in the upper level bathroom of UNAM where she sits in a stall, starving. She shares stories mostly of her chaotic and unstable life meeting new poets and creating bonds with them. There was one younger fella she bonded with in particular, his name was Arturo Belano.
I think the most striking part of the book for me, was when Auxilio first found herself stuck in the bathroom, hiding from soldiers. Specifically, the part when she heard footsteps enter room and had to lift her feet to make sure no one found her. Perhaps I found this to be the most engaging part because it got my adrenaline going a bit, wondering if she would be safe or if they found her what the consequences would be.
Another thing I found interesting about this novel, was Auxilio's relationship with Arturo. The two of them seemed to have a pretty tight bond, despite having quite an age difference. Though I know this bond was entirely due to their shared passion for poetry, while reading I wondered why an older woman would care to hang around a boy in his late teens. I believe this may have been the result of Auxilio grasping for relationships because she put herself in unfamiliar territory when moving to Mexico without family or a place to live. I think she sees him as a son, or someone that she's proud of and wants to guide in the right direction (a mothers instinct).
If you were in Auxilio's shoes, do you think you would have looked for friendships in the same places as she did?
I definitely agree that there is a sense in which Auxilio's friendships appear to be due to a seeming unfamiliarity with Mexico. There's an extent to which Auxilio depicts herself as being both a matron to the young poets of Mexico while also sometimes being lost, such as when she loses her way looking for Elena. I think that in a way, she seems to seek out certain people and holds important memories of them and that while her friendships were not perfect, there's a sense of longing in many of them that I find makes for strange relationships.
ReplyDeleteHi Breanne, thanks for your post! I agree that when she heard footsteps entering the room, it made me nervous as I wasn’t sure if they would’ve discovered her, or if she would be safe. I also agree that it may be a bit odd for an older woman to be friends with a teenage boy. Perhaps it was a mother-son dynamic or a mentor-mentee relationship, I’m not entirely sure. If I was in Auxilio’s shoes, I don’t think I would’ve had such a tight bond with someone who is a teenage boy. As the age difference is quite big, it would feel like I would have to be extremely responsible and mature since in a way I would be a mentor or role model to a kid, and I think that’s a bit too much responsibility for me.
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