The Weight of All Things (Hardcover)

by Sandra Benitez (Author) "Later, after the bombs went off, after the monstrous black clouds they sent up dissipated in the gentle breeze, after the shooters, whoever they might..." (more)
Key Phrases: rope cots, Our Lady, San Salvador, Virgen Milagrosa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Set in El Salvador during the civil war of the 1980s, Ben!tez's third novel (after A Place Where the Sea Remembers and Bitter Grounds) seamlessly blends fact with imagination, evoking the trauma of war more vividly than any newspaper account. Nine-year-old Nicol s de la Virgen Veras lives with his grandfather Tata in Chalatenango, El Salvador, but on March 30, 1980, his mother, Lety, who works in San Salvador for Don Enrique, brings him to the city to witness the burial of a martyred saint, Archbishop Romero. In a bloodbath based on a real-life event, 35 people in the crowd of 80,000 are killed and 450 wounded by soldiers' fire. Lety dies protecting Nicol s. When her body is taken away, Nicol s cannot believe she is dead and tries first to find the hospital for the wounded, then to get home to find Don Enrique's address. As he journeys through the bleak Salvadoran landscape, Nicol s is caught in the violent clashes between the National Army and guerrilla rebels. Held at different times by each faction, Nicol s must rely on his wits and faith in the Virgin Mary if he is to survive. Ben!tez's novel is both political and spiritual, beautifully illuminating the effects of war on the innocent. Like the Sumpul River of Nicol s's hometown, which alternately rages and soothes, Ben!tez's style is both quiet and intense. Her achievement here is considerable; in this brief narrative, she gives voice to the silenced. Those who seek a deeper understanding of Latin American conflict and who appreciate Ben!tez's moral stance will find the novel especially gratifying. 6-city author tour. (Feb.) Things to Rosie O'Donnell's For All Kids Foundation.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The Washington Post
"Benitez spins a lyrically heart-rending tale of a 9 year-old-boy's confrontation with . . . the Salvadoran civil war . . ."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Theia; 1st edition (February 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786863994
• ISBN-13: 978-0786863990
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,523,785 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN ELOQUENT VOICE FOR THE INNOCENT, February 16, 2001

By	Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

War, as they say, is hell. It is hell compounded when endured by a nine-year-old boy who sees his mother killed. In later years he describes that moment as "Like water pouring over stone, that is how she slipped away from me."

Ms. Benitez, who unforgettably drew Latin American life in "A Place Where The Sea Remembers" (1993) and "Bitter Grounds" (1997) now turns to a chaotic El Salvador. Born of both fact and imagination, "The Weight Of All Things" depicts that country's 1980s violence as seen through the eyes of Nicholas de la Virgen Veras.

Nicholas lives with his grandfather, Tata, in the small village of El Retorno, a place of cane and mud buildings "whitewashed with hopefulness." Acceding to his mother's request, he joins her in the city for the funeral of a slain archbishop. It is here that mass murder takes place, and his mother dies shielding the boy with her body.

Clinging to the belief that she still lives despite having seen her limp form dragged away, Nicholas begins a painful and dangerous search for her. His quest takes him throughout the ravaged Salvadoran landscape, into the hands of guerrilla rebels, the Popular Liberation Forces, who have commandeered his village. Nationalist soldiers, the Guardia, will later ransack El Retorno and take the boy captive.

To escape the army compound takes all the wily courage and faith Nicholas can muster.

With "The Weight Of All Things," a scorching but beautiful narrative, Ms. Benitez speaks for the innocent, those caught between forces who would eradicate all in their blind quest for power.

When Nicholas is wounded he longs for a place "where there are no guns, no soldiers, no guerrilleros." So does the world.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, moving ....., July 31, 2001

By	"janmcalex" (Humboldt, TN United States) - See all my reviews

Sandra Benitez has woven a haunting tale of a young boy caught in the war-ravaged reality of El Salvador in 1980.

Nicolas Veras had a wonderful mother. She shielded his body from the gunfire of an attack by guerillas at Archbishop Romero's funeral and she passed on to him her earnest faith in the Virgin Mary. After her death, Nicholas must find his way alone to his grandfather's rural home in the El Salvadoran mountains. He finds that the national military has bombed his village, destroying homes, businesses and the church. From the debris, Nicolas removes the slightly damaged statue of Mary and carries it with him to the farm that has been overtaken by pro-Communist rebels.

From here, the story takes flight. Nicolas and his grandfather are compelled to cooperate with the guerillas. Nicolas participates in smuggling fresh blood and medical supplies to the guerilla camp. He is later captured by the army. Other frightening events occur but young Nicolas feels little fear because, miraculously, the statue of Mary comes alive and speaks advice to Nicolas, giving both instructions and encouragement as he precariously maneuvers between the warring factions of ruthless guerillas and the corrupt and equally ruthless army.

The words flow gently in this sadly beautiful novel. I am usually repulsed by stories involving violence or cruelty towards children; however, this story is so adroitly written with a mixture of harsh truth and tenderness that I couldn't turn away.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Benitez lets the truth be known about El Salvador, April 24, 2001

By	Tracy Lopez (USA) - See all my reviews

I have reviewed Sandra Benitez's "Bitter Grounds", and I have come back to review "The Weight of All Things" - How can I not praise a novel that has the potential to open so many eyes and move so many hearts? Few know or wish to admit the horrible truth of what happend in El Salvador - what was this war really about? How did it effect the people? Who was really in the wrong? Some may be shocked to find that the US Government funded (sending aid in the billions) this war - and on what many would consider, the wrong side. They gave a corrupt government the power, money, ammunition, training, even US Soldiers, and their approval in Hitler-like activities against the poor, common people of El Salvador. They are in part responsible for the deathes of countless innocents, including women and children - who died horrible deathes - who were caught in the middle of a war which, had the US supported the correct side, could have changed history forever, making the tiny Central American country, fair for all. Instead, in selfish interest and ignorant "fear" of communism, the US caused so much damage that this little country has been scarred for life. Benitez lends a sympathetic ear to the people who deserve it most - she tells the story which often goes untold - and she tells it in such a way that your heart will not go untouched. Benitez is a real asset to the writing world. She can tell a political and tragic story with the most poetic words and the most beautiful symobolism and imagery... I just want to thank her for another great book and most of all, for letting the truth be known.