Luz de vitral. (Light of Stained-Glass Window)
Reviewed by Kathleen March, Univ. of Maine -- Críticas, 6/15/2008
Yujnovsky, Oscar.
U.S.: Jorge Pinto Books. 2008. 143p. ISBN 978-0-9801147-1-3. pap. $17.95. FICTION
Yujnovsky knows what it is like to live outside his native Argentina, but instead of mining his own relocation to New York, he has created a main character who has moved to Paris. Juan Martín returns to Buenos Aires after 30 years, and the profound impact on him is subdued by the tone but not the information revealed here. He films and reflects, showing connection to the places of his childhood yet in a detached tone. He seeks out the familiar but accepts the changes, the losses, the revelations of life under a repressive government. Through conversations Juan Martín has while walking the city streets, we learn progressively more about him, although he remains a shadow on the fringe of contemporary Buenos Aires. It is not clear whether he wants to stay or leave, why he really left, or what brought him back. Even references to violence or injustice prompt little elaboration and less emotional response. Readers should find the novel’s structure and style intriguing, although some may wonder what the plot actually is. Ultimately, this is an interrogation of how we respond to our past when we leave it for a long time and return to reclaim it, leading usto reflect on a number of ethical questions in their own lives. Highly recommended.
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