Los locos mueren de viejos. (The Mad Die Old)
Reviewed by Edward A. Riedinger, Ohio State Univ. Lib. -- Críticas, 10/1/2008
Núñez Handal, Vanesa.
Guatemala: F&G. 2008. 112p. ISBN 978-99922-61-80-4. $20.95. pap. FICTION
Dividing her narrative into 32 vignette-like chapters, Núñez Handal, a native of El Salvador who writes and teaches in Guatemala, here chronicles the psychological anguish of Paula, an adolescent struggling to develop under the weight of generational mental instability. Paula is isolated in the decayed family mansion with her mother, who is bankrupt but nonetheless manages to maintain social appearances through subsidies from “Uncle” Alberto, who is thereby allowed to abuse the daughter. To navigate this turmoil, Paula creates an alter ego, María. The narrative tension thus lies between Paula, attentive to a mother upon whom she depends, and María, who despises the mother’s asphyxiating repression. The story emerges through first-person narrative and letters (unanswered) to the mother. Núñez Handal’s style is singularly economic, steadily clinical yet engaged; details unfold as in works of Henrik Ibsen or Ingmar Bergman. The spare, analytic exposition conveys both a touching innocence and a cold insight that furthers the sense of isolation. This debut novel rewards attentive reading. Recommended for large fiction/literature collections in public and academic libraries, especially with holdings for Hispanic and/or women’s studies.
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