Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1281023 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

Customer Reviews

"He longed to stand in a place untouched by man...and, despite all adversity, raise leviathans out of the earth."
As a boy in Trujillo, Peru, Victor Sobrevilla Paniagua receives his fortune from a monkey in the plaza. "Beware! There are those who think you a dreamer," the scrap of paper warns. "Pay them no mind. They would have you doubt your goals." The paper further advises Victor to pray to the Virgin of Copacabana for protection against the day when he will face unexpected disaster. "Fight it with all your will," it says, "Or fly above it, see its God-given value." Victor eventually builds a paper factory in the rain forest of eastern Peru, discovers the mysterious Virgin of Copacabana, and brings her to his home, Floralinda. All is well with his world--until 1952, when he discovers, amid dark portents, how to make cellophane--thereby precipitating the dire events predicted in the second half of his childhood fortune.

The action which follows is divided into three "plagues." A "plague of truth" follows the discovery of cellophane, as each character in Floralinda, including the priest, confesses his/her romantic indiscretions. A "plague of hearts" follows, with each person pursuing new love or rekindling old love. Ultimately, a "plague of revolution" occurs, as government soldiers invade Floralinda, and local workers blame Don Victor and his cellophane for these troubles and the bloody battles which result.

Rich and atmospheric, Cellophane is a consummately "Latin American" novel in the tradition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, though there is less "magical realism" here. Examining the lives, past and present, of Don Victor, his wife, their children, spouses, lovers, and servants, Arana creates vibrant portraits showing the contrasts between those who leave the city for life in the jungle, and those who have lived there all their lives. The Catholicism of "civilized" city life contrasts with the vibrant spirit world of the native inhabitants, and the tension between reality and spirit infuses the action.

Considered a "shape-changer," Don Victor practices the local religion, regularly visits a curandero (healer), ingests hallucinogens for purification, and has a "spirit creature"-- the huge Andean condor. Other characters, some of them devout Catholics, show "the interconnectedness of all things" by accepting treatment from the curandero, treasuring magical talismans, believing prophetic dreams, and, deep in the jungle, making unexpected discoveries about themselves, the spirit world, and the unity of life.

Expansive in scope and theme but magnificently controlled in execution, Cellophane is thoroughly entertaining, filled with humor and irony. Within her warm humor, Arana examines themes of creativity and spirit, love and responsibility, society vs. solitude, liberty vs. autocracy, and the conflict between new and old ways. Swirling from present to past and back, as background and action combine, Arana creates engaging characters and the fully drawn community of Floralinda, creating a novel lovers of literary fiction will celebrate. Mary Whipple