The time to discuss our latest book club selection has come, friends! So, what did you think? When the book choice was announced, I posted some topics to keep in mind as you read. I’ve come up with some additional topics to discuss, but I hope you have questions and thoughts of your own to add. Let’s bust out the mojitos and get to discussin’.
The first two lines of Eire’s preamble (Preámbulo) read “This is not a work of fiction./But the author would like it to be.” Did you all think Eire was telling the complete truth? Eire’s writing style is a lot less structured than most of us are probably used to reading. Much of the book seemed to be pure stream of consciousness and written like a diary. Did you think that was detrimental or helpful to Eire effectively telling his story? Was this book a bit of a tall tale or could these memories have been vividly seared into Eire’s mind? Remember, he was only 8 or 9 when the events began to take place. It is all so dreamlike and poetic. Would Eire be better suited for writing novels?
For me, the most haunting part of the book is the chapter that Eire did not number. The chapter where Eire cryptically told of Ernesto sexually molesting him and his brother, Tony. Through Eire’s writing we know he has a lot of pent up rage toward his father for not believing him when he claimed Ernesto molested him. In fact, the revelation of the abuse turned Eire’s father against Eire in favor of Ernesto. In addition to taking the side of his adopted son over Eire, his father poured salt into Eire’s wounds by feverishly collecting artifacts and trinkets while passively allowing his sons to be sent to America. What did you make of Eire’s relationship with his father? What did you think of Eire’s ultimate punishment being Ernesto forgiven over and over while he sits at the feet of Jesus?
Did you think this was a tale of an innocent victim, seeing as how Eire was a child? Or is Eire just another spoiled, whiny rich kid who complains too much? As I said in the announcement post, Castro is described by Eire as having destroyed lives “in the name of fairness, …progress, …the oppressed.” But it’s not like Batista was doing right by everyone either. Before Batista was overthrown, Eire’s family profited directly from other’s suffering as did the rest of the ridiculously rich Cubans. How could the grievances of both groups been reconciled? Would it have even been possible? We are able to look at the state of Cuba over 50 years later and see the country as a whole was oppressed this entire time. Castro’s movement may have been well-intentioned, but it resulted in so much suffering. What does this say about human nature?
What other issues were raised for you while you were reading? Are we all lizards (perpetuating evil and suffering from it, too) while using humor as coping mechanism to get through life?
Thanks for reading and participating! I can’t wait to read your thoughts on one of my favorite books.
