The House on the Lagoon by Rosario Ferre

This review is brought to you courtesy of my site-mate Nette, who probably decided she shouldn't be the only one suffering from a cultural identity crisis, and gave me a book by "Puerto Rico's leading woman of letters".

The House on the Lagoon is a family saga, starting from the early 20th century when the patriarch, Buenaventura, arrives on the island of Puerto Rico as a penniless immigrant from Spain. Ferre begins her story with a self-aware, distant ambience, tentatively recorded by her protagonist Isabel, and critiqued by husband Quintin. As a member of the generation in between, Isabel reports the stories of the generations before, while she relates her own childhood experiences, and those of her children. Ferre's language is more matter-of-fact than many Latin American writers, but the story gradually gains momentum and immediacy, as Isabel's own confidence as a writer builds. Quintin's scribbled comments subside as he becomes lost in the tale his wife is telling. Finally his own fate is unveiled in a finish that is dramatic, suspenseful and kind of tragic.

---

Leave a comment

name
email (if you want to be notified)
<-- Please retype the word you see here:
Notify me when someone replies to this post?

---