16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"He longed to stand in a place untouched by man...and, despite all adversity, raise leviathans out of the earth.", July 31, 2006
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. Victor eventually builds a paper factory in the rain forest of eastern Peru, finds the statue of the Virgin of Copacabana, and brings it to his jungle 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 develops engaging characters and the fully drawn community of Floralinda, creating a novel lovers of literary fiction will celebrate. n Mary Whipple
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
In the end, a keeper, July 23, 2006
My opinion on this book changed several times through the reading. Arana certainly writes very clean prose, but there were times I would have traded a bit of that for a bit more spark. And, at times, the "magic" seemed closer to overwrought coincidence. In the end, however, she pulled it off.
I was drawn in by the idea of the protagonist (Don Victor) wanting to make paper (and, eventually, cellophane) in the Amazon. Few are the books that honor an engineer wanting to create, especially in difficult circumstances in a less developed country. Placing this in the Amazon allowed the tensions between European and Indian, Christian and Animist, and even tribe and tribe, to color the story. Ultimately, it is a struggle between Europeans over wealth that causes all the other tension to flare up and wreak havoc.
It seems unlikely that the plot's dependence on the difficulty of imposing western concepts of civilization on other people, even when it brings them material advantage, is unrelated to events in the world today. But this is not a book about the world today, and it can be read for pleasure as a period piece, even if the author doesn't always succeed in separating period and modern sensibilities. (If paper doesn't grab you, rest assured that there are bad marriages, affairs, lusts, feuds, and grudges to keep you occupied.)
While certainly not a towering work of modern literature, it is well above average for a modern American novel. And it is very much approachable for those wanting a taste of Latin American magical realism who have been scared off by the "better bring a machete to cut through the prose" secondary but over-hyped works in the genre.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I liked it, but it may not be for everyone, August 22, 2006
A lot of being said lately about the brilliance of Latin American fiction. But, for me, the pages and pages of flowery prose just get to be too much after awhile. This book was better than I expected. At first, I didn't know if I would be able to make it through. I didn't know if the story of a man's obsession with making paper in the jungle would be enough. It is actually the journey of the family that is the story. Surprisingly, by the time I finished the book I found myself enjoying it. The characters are well developed and understandable in their thoughts and actions. Not everyone wil enjoy this style of writing, but it is certainly worth a read. If you enjoy Latin American literature, you will like this book. If you have been wanting to sample it, this would be a good start.
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