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Al Otro Lado
"Al otro lado" [On the Other Side]
On an island in the Caribbean (could it be Cuba?) live our daily evils. Fear, luxury, sins, confessions are on one side; lovers, prostitutes, homosexuals, victims, and the victimized are on the other. Inside the confessional, only a priest, a woman, and God know what goes on. Then loneliness, death, another country... This is a book in which eroticism reaches its highest level of expression, a book of inconfessable confessions that questions sin and draws a shaky line between good and evil, as a priest who is much too young listens to a woman who is much too scared. It is a book of orgies and seductions, where a woman explores, through the body, the labyrinths of the soul, and where prostitutes, crooks, murderers, transvestites, innocents, homosexuals, and lovers join in a sometimes frenzied, sometimes tender dance. "Al otro lado" is a book unanimously celebrated by critics. Through impeccable prose, the protagonist lives a strange and intense relationship with her confessor. It all takes place in a ghostly church that bleeds or sheds tears, in which Christians and non-believers occupy the same space. "Al otro lado" is a temple of games of words, games of the flesh, games of life and death. This is, without doubt, one of the most revealing books of contemporary Hispanic literature.
On an island in the Caribbean (could it be Cuba?) live our daily evils. Fear, luxury, sins, confessions are on one side; lovers, prostitutes, homosexuals, victims, and the victimized are on the other. Inside the confessional, only a priest, a woman, and God know what goes on. Then loneliness, death, another country... This is a book in which eroticism reaches its highest level of expression, a book of inconfessable confessions that questions sin and draws a shaky line between good and evil, as a priest who is much too young listens to a woman who is much too scared. It is a book of orgies and seductions, where a woman explores, through the body, the labyrinths of the soul, and where prostitutes, crooks, murderers, transvestites, innocents, homosexuals, and lovers join in a sometimes frenzied, sometimes tender dance. "Al otro lado" is a book unanimously celebrated by critics. Through impeccable prose, the protagonist lives a strange and intense relationship with her confessor. It all takes place in a ghostly church that bleeds or sheds tears, in which Christians and non-believers occupy the same space. "Al otro lado" is a temple of games of words, games of the flesh, games of life and death. This is, without doubt, one of the most revealing books of contemporary Hispanic literature.
253 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
4 people want to read
About the author
Yanitzia Canetti
406 books9 followersYanitzia Canetti (born in 1967 in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban author, translator, and editor.
Her published works include two novels (Al otro lado and Novelita Rosa), a collection of narrative short stories (La muerte nuestra de cada vida), and over 200 children's books. She has also translated many well-known children's stories into Spanish, including The Berenstain Bears Save Christmas, Curious George Rides a Bike, and a number of books by Dr. Seuss. Canetti has earned a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, a Master's in Linguistics, and a Ph.D. in Literature. She currently resides with her husband and two sons in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Her published works include two novels (Al otro lado and Novelita Rosa), a collection of narrative short stories (La muerte nuestra de cada vida), and over 200 children's books. She has also translated many well-known children's stories into Spanish, including The Berenstain Bears Save Christmas, Curious George Rides a Bike, and a number of books by Dr. Seuss. Canetti has earned a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, a Master's in Linguistics, and a Ph.D. in Literature. She currently resides with her husband and two sons in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 1, 2020
Una oda a la vida, a disfrutar de los placeres que nos conmueven, sin miramientos ni estereotipos por el qué dirán. Una obra existencialista que ahonda en el diálogo con uno mismo para conocer aquello que se esconde al otro lado. Sublime, poética y trascendental. Imprescindible.
August 19, 2009
"Al otro lado" (On the Other Side) is a brutally honest and provocative novel which chronicles the self-discovery of a young woman living in (presumably) Communist Cuba. The reader accompanies the protagonist on her journey from the womb to adulthood as she grows, adapts, changes, and comes to grips not only with society and the people in her life, but more importantly with her own inner demons.
The book is vividly descriptive and replete with sexual overtones which the author uses when describing just about all of the protagonist's experiences. This, combined with the sacrilegious connotations throughout the novel, may be too intense for more conservative readers.
The book is vividly descriptive and replete with sexual overtones which the author uses when describing just about all of the protagonist's experiences. This, combined with the sacrilegious connotations throughout the novel, may be too intense for more conservative readers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews