billy reviewed This is how you lose her by Junot Díaz
Review of 'This is how you lose her' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
is there redemptive value in hating yourself? probably not but dude can fuckin write
207 pages
Spanish language
Published 2013
Asi es como la pierdes
by Junot Díaz
"Asi es como la pierdes es un libro sobre mujeres que quitan el sentido, sobre el amor y el ardor, sobre la traicio n, porque a veces traicionamos lo que ma s queremos, y tambie n es un libro sobre el suplicio que pasamos despue s--los ruegos, las la grimas, la sensacio n de estar atravesado un campo de minas--para intentar recuperar lo que perdimos, aquello que crei amos que no queri amos, que no nos importaba. Estos cuentos nos ensen an las leyes fijas del amor: que la desesperanza de los padres la acaban sufriendo los hijos, que lo que les hacemos a nuestros ex amantes nos lo hara n inevitablemente a nosotros, y que aquello de 'amar al pro jimo como a uno mismo' no funciona bajo la influencia de Eros. Pero sobre todo, estos cuentos nos recuerdan que el ardor siempre triunfa sobre la experiencia, y que …
"Asi es como la pierdes es un libro sobre mujeres que quitan el sentido, sobre el amor y el ardor, sobre la traicio n, porque a veces traicionamos lo que ma s queremos, y tambie n es un libro sobre el suplicio que pasamos despue s--los ruegos, las la grimas, la sensacio n de estar atravesado un campo de minas--para intentar recuperar lo que perdimos, aquello que crei amos que no queri amos, que no nos importaba. Estos cuentos nos ensen an las leyes fijas del amor: que la desesperanza de los padres la acaban sufriendo los hijos, que lo que les hacemos a nuestros ex amantes nos lo hara n inevitablemente a nosotros, y que aquello de 'amar al pro jimo como a uno mismo' no funciona bajo la influencia de Eros. Pero sobre todo, estos cuentos nos recuerdan que el ardor siempre triunfa sobre la experiencia, y que el amor, cuando llega de verdad, necesita ma s de una vida para desvanecerse."--
Presents a collection of stories that explores the heartbreak and radiance of love as it is shaped by passion, betrayal, and the echoes of intimacy.
periwinkleReads reviewed This is how you lose her by Junot Díaz
Review of 'This is how you lose her' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Diaz sucks you in with his storytelling style, and by the end you are deeply moved.
tiff reviewed This is how you lose her by Junot Díaz
Review of 'This is how you lose her' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
"The half-life of love is forever"- that line describes this entire book of threaded stories. Every book I've read of Junot Diaz has the love/cheating, working class Dominican/raw theme to it, my first introduction to his voice and style was Wao. I couldn't stop reading that book just as I couldn't stop reading this one. His voice is staccato and engaging, moving you from one sentence to the next in a breathless fluidity I haven't experienced elsewhere.
People have noted that they would like to see other themes explored in his work and while this would exemplify his genius (pun intended, he was just names a MacArthur Fellow) as a writer I get it- there is the languid part of our souls that need exploration, that need tending to to be understood, to be feared less, to be cried out. What better way than to write through it? I'm not …
"The half-life of love is forever"- that line describes this entire book of threaded stories. Every book I've read of Junot Diaz has the love/cheating, working class Dominican/raw theme to it, my first introduction to his voice and style was Wao. I couldn't stop reading that book just as I couldn't stop reading this one. His voice is staccato and engaging, moving you from one sentence to the next in a breathless fluidity I haven't experienced elsewhere.
People have noted that they would like to see other themes explored in his work and while this would exemplify his genius (pun intended, he was just names a MacArthur Fellow) as a writer I get it- there is the languid part of our souls that need exploration, that need tending to to be understood, to be feared less, to be cried out. What better way than to write through it? I'm not going to knock any stars of the book for theme repetition. I understand that people will, however.
Most of the stories were strong and in his characteristic 2nd person POV and he just makes it work. If any other writers writing today tried this it would fail, belly up, in its own waste. I loved most of the stories. I liked a few. I want to reread Otra vida, Otra vez, absorb it, memorize it, know it. That is how a story should be written. That is how a story should move.
I'm giving this book 5 stars because I'm a fan of gritty fiction, I write gritty, I've lived gritty and this book is affirmation that there is beauty in sorrow.
Subjects
- Man-woman relationships
- Novela
- Mujeres
- Relaciones hombre-mujer
- Women
- Fiction