One of the great trends, and why not also say virtues, of the current narrative is that temporal fragmentation that leads you through parallel stories. Knots that could compose their own independent novel but intermingle to compose a double reading experience.
But it is not just a matter of a whim of the author, in this case of Sofía Segovia. In the end, even the most remote, the most distant can find a surprising proximity, a closeness that ends up becoming the leitmotif of the novel turned into a mosaic.
Aniceto Mora is a character who moves the plot, a kind of shadow protagonist. His personal history is linked to the paradisiac island of Cozumel, where, later, two married couples share a holiday at a resort price.
The aforementioned protagonist in the shade, brings from his past the memories of his unfortunate future. Disowned by everyone, starting with those in his house, Aniceto is busy drawing a path for his life, with little fortune, always involved in a process of dehumanization.
Very different are the vicissitudes of those two marriages with whom Aniceto shares space rather than time. The only apparent misfortune for these two couples is the storm that hits them shortly after they set foot on the island. And yet ...
And yet there is loneliness, tiredness, forgotten love ..., and Aniceto goes from being a shadow to becoming an impossible memory of these new occasional inhabitants. Aniceto and the tourists share lostness and despair. Boredom of life and despondency due to the narrow margin that their own cowardice gives them.
In a way it may sound like a metaphysical, existential story. And it is. But still, in some inexplicable way the plot moves lightly. A fascinating compendium between depth of ideas and lightness in its presentation and development.
Undoubtedly an interesting reading by this Mexican author who has already taken off with El murmullo de las abejas.
You can buy the book Hurricane, the new novel by Sofía Segovia, here: