A Heart So White by Javier Marías
Javier Marías is celebrated in his native Spain, but much less known in the United States. A Heart So White (the title is a line from Macbeth) is the first of his books that I have read, which is my loss. A central theme in the book is the quest by the principal character, Juan, who is also the narrator, to discover more about the past of his father, Ranz. How did Ranz's previous wife die? How many times was he married? But "quest" is a misleading description. Juan is alternately curious and uncertain; he wonders whether he really wants to know, and whether the past, whatever it contains, might best be left alone.
Juan is recently married, and while brooding about the mystery of his father's past he is embarking on a relationship with his new wife, Luisa. The book is a fascinating exploration of a number of related themes. Secrecy and disclosure, reticence and revelation, the power--or irrelevance--of the past, the reality or unreality of what we believe we remember.
The developing intimacy between Juan and Luisa contrasts with two other stories: that of a woman named Miriam and her lover Guillermo whose relationship is mostly overheard through the wall of a hotel in Havana, and Juan's friend in New York, Marta, whose search for relationship is conducted through personal ads and an endless series of short-lived affairs. A Heart So White is a complex, fascinating book. I definitely recommend it.
Juan is recently married, and while brooding about the mystery of his father's past he is embarking on a relationship with his new wife, Luisa. The book is a fascinating exploration of a number of related themes. Secrecy and disclosure, reticence and revelation, the power--or irrelevance--of the past, the reality or unreality of what we believe we remember.
The developing intimacy between Juan and Luisa contrasts with two other stories: that of a woman named Miriam and her lover Guillermo whose relationship is mostly overheard through the wall of a hotel in Havana, and Juan's friend in New York, Marta, whose search for relationship is conducted through personal ads and an endless series of short-lived affairs. A Heart So White is a complex, fascinating book. I definitely recommend it.