What do you think?
Rate this book
Malacostumbrismo
Malacostumbrismo retrata, sin pintoresquismos ni esencialismos simplistas, las “malas costumbres”, vicios y desventajas de personajes comunes y corrientes, asediados por la pobreza en su más burda y desolada desnudez. Desde la ínfima degradación del niño tornado en objeto por el padre a quien quisiera admirar, hasta la joven carroñeramente castigada en su sexualidad por no ajustarse a la norma, nos encontramos con una lograda adaptación del realismo sucio a la experiencia puertorriqueña. La narración fluye tensa e impecable, con una perturbadora, si bien aparente, imparcialidad. Pero no hay que engañarse, porque de cada relato, en su lirismo descarnado, destila un mensaje insistentemente humano, una compasión que no transige con cuestiones de negligencia y culpabilidad.
Dinorah Cortés-Vélez, Ph.D. Marquette University
Dinorah Cortés-Vélez, Ph.D. Marquette University
67 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 9, 2019
This is one of the difficult books, where the subject matter is harsh (at times awful) but it's written so well that you can't look away. It feels awkward to say, "This is a really great book, I couldn't put it down," when it's dealing with topics like rape and hate crimes. But it really is an incredible book, and I couldn't put it down.
In addition to its challenging content, reading Malacostumbrismo will be a challenge for non-native Spanish speakers, even though this is a short story collection. There is a lot of regionally-specific language and slang. Additionally, the action is often described indirectly, or through metaphor. This is where Cruz's art really reveals itself. Victims of violence often cope with their trauma by distancing themselves (mentally, verbally, etc.), and this is conveyed through the narrators.
A young boy being sold by his father to be raped can't conceive of the injustice of his situation, and so the assaults are not described in terms of 'right' and wrong.' It's described in relation to the details of the situation (music, in one scene). The father is not condemned, because the child has no frame of reference for condemnation yet. He just assumes his father knows what is best, and does what is best for him. It's absolutely devastating.
This book deserves a lot of attention.
In addition to its challenging content, reading Malacostumbrismo will be a challenge for non-native Spanish speakers, even though this is a short story collection. There is a lot of regionally-specific language and slang. Additionally, the action is often described indirectly, or through metaphor. This is where Cruz's art really reveals itself. Victims of violence often cope with their trauma by distancing themselves (mentally, verbally, etc.), and this is conveyed through the narrators.
A young boy being sold by his father to be raped can't conceive of the injustice of his situation, and so the assaults are not described in terms of 'right' and wrong.' It's described in relation to the details of the situation (music, in one scene). The father is not condemned, because the child has no frame of reference for condemnation yet. He just assumes his father knows what is best, and does what is best for him. It's absolutely devastating.
This book deserves a lot of attention.
August 10, 2024
Una forma de conectar con los que menos tienen y con los que sufren, a través de estas historias que impactan, escritas con suma destreza.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews