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La mucama de Omicunlé
This overwhelming novel, which enshrines Rita Indiana as narrator contains many layers and fascinating twists that eludes all synthesis. The story begins in the apartment of saint and advisor to the Dominican President, Esther Escudero, better known as Omicunlé. His young maid, Alcide Figueroa, whom Esther helped leave a life of prostitution thanks to the collaboration of Eric Vitier, is about to become plagued by the past, present and future that seems dizzying and nearly impossible at times. Including deities that inhabit the Caribbean Sea, political interests, Goya’s prints, gender reassignment and numerous plot twists, few other works of fiction speak of contemporary art as precisely as La mucama de omicunlé. With a subtlety that avoids indoctrination and postmodern cynicism, this novel does not stray away from what is pure and simple.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2015
194 people are currently reading
6961 people want to read
About the author
Rita Indiana
17 books319 followersRita Indiana (Santo Domingo, 1977) es escritora, compositora y Global Distinguished Professor en la maestría de escritura creativa en español de la New York University. Es autora de La mucama de Omicunlé (Periférica, 2015), finalista en la Bienal de Novela Mario Vargas Llosa de 2016 y Gran Premio de la Asociación de Escritores del Caribe, primera novela en español en obtenerlo. Tiene publicadas La estrategia de Chochueca (Isla Negra, 2003), Papi (Periférica, 2011), Nombres y animales (Periférica, 2013) y Hecho en Saturno (Periférica, 2018) y los discos El juidero y Mandinga Times, este último nominado a los Premios Grammy Latinos. Ha colaborado con El País, The Boston Globe, Granta y Vice, y sus novelas se han traducido a diez idiomas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 620 reviews
August 4, 2024
5 "harsh complex queer machismo" stars !!!
10th Favorite Read of 2022 Award (tie)
Pride read of 2022 !!
This is a defiant, brave, complex short novel that challenges genre, sexuality, gender, and the nature of love. This book takes place in three time periods of Dominican history. The turbulent past with issues of colonialism, racism and slavery. The present day of poverty, classism, colorism and gender repression as well as homophobia and machismo. In addition the near future of environmental destruction and ongoing disease with the supremacy of government corruption.
Both the hero (a transman) and villain (a repressed misogynistic bisexual man) are really antiheroes and fit on the same coin. They are able to transcend time and flit between environments as they battle on the Dominican republic while exploring politics, art, nature, sex and music while taking drugs and exploring Caribbean syncretic religions and magic. This book is very literary with heavy doses of science fiction and magical realism.
The prose is rich, intelligent and full of violence. The world is not presented in white suburban feminist ideals but rather as how the Island life is dangerous for many including women, queers and the poor. The importance of rebalancing our world before capitalism and western liberalism destroy the earth forever are front and center of this powerful short book.
I am truly amazed at how this brief novel covers so much ground in such an effective and artful manner.
Brava to the author and I wish you all an impactful Pride month !
10th Favorite Read of 2022 Award (tie)
Pride read of 2022 !!
This is a defiant, brave, complex short novel that challenges genre, sexuality, gender, and the nature of love. This book takes place in three time periods of Dominican history. The turbulent past with issues of colonialism, racism and slavery. The present day of poverty, classism, colorism and gender repression as well as homophobia and machismo. In addition the near future of environmental destruction and ongoing disease with the supremacy of government corruption.
Both the hero (a transman) and villain (a repressed misogynistic bisexual man) are really antiheroes and fit on the same coin. They are able to transcend time and flit between environments as they battle on the Dominican republic while exploring politics, art, nature, sex and music while taking drugs and exploring Caribbean syncretic religions and magic. This book is very literary with heavy doses of science fiction and magical realism.
The prose is rich, intelligent and full of violence. The world is not presented in white suburban feminist ideals but rather as how the Island life is dangerous for many including women, queers and the poor. The importance of rebalancing our world before capitalism and western liberalism destroy the earth forever are front and center of this powerful short book.
I am truly amazed at how this brief novel covers so much ground in such an effective and artful manner.
Brava to the author and I wish you all an impactful Pride month !
September 4, 2023
A science fiction/fantasy story set in the Dominican Republic (DR) in the near future. There’s a lot going on in this short book (130 pages) and there are many themes, so let me list some of them:
Environmental disasters and the preservation of reefs
LGBT especially transgender
The indigenous Taino people of the DR, Puerto Rico and Cuba
Other ethnic groups in the DR especially Italians and Jews
Afro-Christian syncretic religion
Race – we are often told a character is ‘black as coal,’ white, light-skinned, has cinnamon skin, etc.
Dystopia: a 1984-ish, tightly monitored central city surrounded by slums where poor people live and anything goes
Music - We hear a lot about music and we know we are not too far off in the future because people still listen to Metallica and REM. The author is also a musician who has her own techno-rock band.
Some science fiction aspects: People have computer vision built into their eyes and cameras built into their hands. Illegal immigrants who cross the border from Haiti are hunted down in DR and killed by robots.
Again, there’s a lot going on in this book, so I don’t think I’m giving too much away if I tell you what’s going on in just the first 17 pages so you can get an idea of what you are signing up for if you read this. I’ll use spoilers:
We learn a lot of factual information about ethnicity and race in the DR including the Afro-Christian syncretic religion practiced by many. A major thread that runs through the novel is about the Taino people, a subgroup of the Arawak people who occupied many of the Caribbean Islands before European colonization. History books used to say they that all the Taino people had been killed by the Spanish but it turns out that Taino DNA survived through intermarriage. A lot of people in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico today have some Taino ancestry.
There’s a lot about Italian immigrants. One character’s parents lost their farmland back in Italy after two years of continuous rain. And another true story we learn about is a settlement of Jews in the northern beach town of Sosua. That settlement dates back to the late 1930s when dictator Trujillo agreed to provide a home for Jews fleeing Nazi Germany.
At times I found the story line confusing and it would have helped me to know all this ahead of time because I had trouble following it all, thus the rating of ‘3’ I gave it. Here’s the main science fiction/fantasy premise of the story: Quite a task to fit all this into 130 pages!
There is some good writing:
“Katherine sounded like a woman beaten down by piles of dirty dishes and a construction worker husband who showed his affection by not spitting on the rug.”
“They were charming and straightforward, because people who have money don’t have to engage in the usual bullshit to rise above others.”
“Lies, thought Alcide, are like beans, they have to be well seasoned or no one will swallow them.”
Top photo: Boca Chica on the south coast of DR from wikipedia
Modern people celebrating their Taino heritage from nationalgeographic.com
The author from npr.org
[Revised 10/9/22 and 9/4/23 - spoilers hidden, shelves added]
Environmental disasters and the preservation of reefs
LGBT especially transgender
The indigenous Taino people of the DR, Puerto Rico and Cuba
Other ethnic groups in the DR especially Italians and Jews
Afro-Christian syncretic religion
Race – we are often told a character is ‘black as coal,’ white, light-skinned, has cinnamon skin, etc.
Dystopia: a 1984-ish, tightly monitored central city surrounded by slums where poor people live and anything goes
Music - We hear a lot about music and we know we are not too far off in the future because people still listen to Metallica and REM. The author is also a musician who has her own techno-rock band.
Some science fiction aspects: People have computer vision built into their eyes and cameras built into their hands. Illegal immigrants who cross the border from Haiti are hunted down in DR and killed by robots.
Again, there’s a lot going on in this book, so I don’t think I’m giving too much away if I tell you what’s going on in just the first 17 pages so you can get an idea of what you are signing up for if you read this. I’ll use spoilers:
We learn a lot of factual information about ethnicity and race in the DR including the Afro-Christian syncretic religion practiced by many. A major thread that runs through the novel is about the Taino people, a subgroup of the Arawak people who occupied many of the Caribbean Islands before European colonization. History books used to say they that all the Taino people had been killed by the Spanish but it turns out that Taino DNA survived through intermarriage. A lot of people in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico today have some Taino ancestry.
There’s a lot about Italian immigrants. One character’s parents lost their farmland back in Italy after two years of continuous rain. And another true story we learn about is a settlement of Jews in the northern beach town of Sosua. That settlement dates back to the late 1930s when dictator Trujillo agreed to provide a home for Jews fleeing Nazi Germany.
At times I found the story line confusing and it would have helped me to know all this ahead of time because I had trouble following it all, thus the rating of ‘3’ I gave it. Here’s the main science fiction/fantasy premise of the story: Quite a task to fit all this into 130 pages!
There is some good writing:
“Katherine sounded like a woman beaten down by piles of dirty dishes and a construction worker husband who showed his affection by not spitting on the rug.”
“They were charming and straightforward, because people who have money don’t have to engage in the usual bullshit to rise above others.”
“Lies, thought Alcide, are like beans, they have to be well seasoned or no one will swallow them.”
Top photo: Boca Chica on the south coast of DR from wikipedia
Modern people celebrating their Taino heritage from nationalgeographic.com
The author from npr.org
[Revised 10/9/22 and 9/4/23 - spoilers hidden, shelves added]
April 29, 2019
At last, the queer, punk, dystopian novel of the Dominican Republic I should have been waiting for. For a minute in the second chapter I worried it would turn into that sort satire where characters no one can really care about get tossed about like puppets by arbitrary forces of authorial whim, but no, it turns out to be much stranger, and much more meticulously constructed than that. A smart pulp tour of Caribbean history, art, politics, and ecology.
April 9, 2020
I'm beginning to realize how much #metoo is changing the way I read. There is a lot of sexual violence in this novel, treated in a pulp-fiction-y way that even a year ago might not have bothered me as much as it does now. These days my tolerance for sexually violent scenes is significantly lower than before. I'm quicker to judge a scene as exploitative rather than necessary.
Objectively I can say this is a unique novel, where important themes weave through the story in witty and imaginative ways. But I felt unhappy as I read, and maybe even a little unsafe. These weren't feelings that I wanted to feel at the moment.
Objectively I can say this is a unique novel, where important themes weave through the story in witty and imaginative ways. But I felt unhappy as I read, and maybe even a little unsafe. These weren't feelings that I wanted to feel at the moment.
April 1, 2020
And Other Stories is a small UK publisher which “publishes some of the best in contemporary writing, including many translations” and aims “to push people’s reading limits and help them discover authors of adventurous and inspiring writing”. They are set up as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company and operate on a subscriber model – with subscribers (of which they now have around 1000 in 40 countries) committing in advance to enable the publication of future books.
Famously and admirably, And Other Stories were the only publisher to respond to Kamilia Shamsie (subsequent winner of the 2018 Women’s Prize)’s 2016 challenge to only publish books by women in 2018.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
“Tentacle” by Rita Indiana was first published in Spanish as La Mucama de Omicunlé (Omikunle’s Maid), and has been translated into English by Achy Obejas.
It is an unusual novel – a mix as I saw it of Dominican politics (past and present), time-travel science fiction, future dystopian eco-thriller, modern art-tribute (or satire – I was not entirely clear) and Yoruba-influenced voodoo.
The book starts in the future – sometime in the mid 21st Century. A populist Dominican President Said Bona, formed a left-wing voodoo inspired totalitarian regime, allied with other states in a Bolivarian Alliance, but in 2024 a seaquake flushed some biological weapons he was hoarding for the Venezuelan government into the Caribbean, destroying the local marine environment and reaping havoc on the global marine ecosystem.
The main character of the book is Acidle – who serves as a maid to Bona’s spiritual advisor Esther (or Omicunlé). Acidle’s ambitions are initially fixated on finding her Italian father, training as an Italian chef and paying for a chemical sex change and she hatches a plan to steal an anemone that Esther keeps and uses (one of the few remaining sea creatures). However when that plan goes wrong her real destiny as Esther’s chosen spiritual successor – anointed to eliminate not the effects but, using time travel, the very origins of the catastrophe comes to fore.
In what starts as the other main story trail – which over time we realise is set in something more like the present day, an artist Argenis is part of a part artistic commune, part ecological sanctuary being established by a couple – Georgio and Linda, when he suddenly finds himself leading an apparent parallel past life as the sole survivor of a shipwreck now living with a motley crew of bucaneers on the Dominican coast a few hundred years earlier.
Eventually we see how the two stories combine, the time travel elements come much more to the fore as we work our way through the shifting characters and time zones.
Certainly this is a very different and interesting story
The ending which at first confused me, seemed to me after a night’s reflection to be a clever metaphor for the attitude of humanity to climate change and ecological disaster – being unwilling to sacrifice present day personal comfort for future generations – even in full knowledge of the likely consequences for the planet and those future generations of that decision.
I had two reservations with the book. Firstly, just as with Alia Trabucco Zeran “The Remainder” by the same publisher I think the book would have benefited from a translator’s note, as well as a foreword/afterword for the English reader less familiar with the political background. Secondly, I was uncomfortable with the real/fantasied sexual violence directed against women.
Famously and admirably, And Other Stories were the only publisher to respond to Kamilia Shamsie (subsequent winner of the 2018 Women’s Prize)’s 2016 challenge to only publish books by women in 2018.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
“Tentacle” by Rita Indiana was first published in Spanish as La Mucama de Omicunlé (Omikunle’s Maid), and has been translated into English by Achy Obejas.
It is an unusual novel – a mix as I saw it of Dominican politics (past and present), time-travel science fiction, future dystopian eco-thriller, modern art-tribute (or satire – I was not entirely clear) and Yoruba-influenced voodoo.
The book starts in the future – sometime in the mid 21st Century. A populist Dominican President Said Bona, formed a left-wing voodoo inspired totalitarian regime, allied with other states in a Bolivarian Alliance, but in 2024 a seaquake flushed some biological weapons he was hoarding for the Venezuelan government into the Caribbean, destroying the local marine environment and reaping havoc on the global marine ecosystem.
The main character of the book is Acidle – who serves as a maid to Bona’s spiritual advisor Esther (or Omicunlé). Acidle’s ambitions are initially fixated on finding her Italian father, training as an Italian chef and paying for a chemical sex change and she hatches a plan to steal an anemone that Esther keeps and uses (one of the few remaining sea creatures). However when that plan goes wrong her real destiny as Esther’s chosen spiritual successor – anointed to eliminate not the effects but, using time travel, the very origins of the catastrophe comes to fore.
In what starts as the other main story trail – which over time we realise is set in something more like the present day, an artist Argenis is part of a part artistic commune, part ecological sanctuary being established by a couple – Georgio and Linda, when he suddenly finds himself leading an apparent parallel past life as the sole survivor of a shipwreck now living with a motley crew of bucaneers on the Dominican coast a few hundred years earlier.
Eventually we see how the two stories combine, the time travel elements come much more to the fore as we work our way through the shifting characters and time zones.
Certainly this is a very different and interesting story
The ending which at first confused me, seemed to me after a night’s reflection to be a clever metaphor for the attitude of humanity to climate change and ecological disaster – being unwilling to sacrifice present day personal comfort for future generations – even in full knowledge of the likely consequences for the planet and those future generations of that decision.
I had two reservations with the book. Firstly, just as with Alia Trabucco Zeran “The Remainder” by the same publisher I think the book would have benefited from a translator’s note, as well as a foreword/afterword for the English reader less familiar with the political background. Secondly, I was uncomfortable with the real/fantasied sexual violence directed against women.
March 7, 2025
4.5 stars
short review for busy readers:
It's hard to describe this original, high concept short novel. Sci-fi? Climate Fiction? Experimental? Punk? Mash Up? In any case, extremely competently conceived and executed. A delight for style enthusiasts as well as spec fiction fans.
in detail:
"Tentacle" could be called a time travel novella, but that would be misleading. It could also be called an LGBT+ novella, but that would also be misleading.
What the novella does is take the notion of time -- and gender -- doubling, sometimes tripling, to reflect and expound upon itself.
That is: one transgender individual in the future has doubles in the 1990s and in the 1600s. He is conscious of every moment of those other lives as he lives his own, manipulating and planting the seeds of what his other, later selves will experience. Until he finds out...he's not the only multiple-life-liver.
It's a complex concept and difficult to render in prose, but Rita Indiana pulls off with ease. Never for a moment are you confused as to which life is being experienced or reflected upon. The overlaps and chains of events are minutely plotted to create an overall feeling of, not fate, but free will.
The Dominican Republic setting, Yoruba voodoo religion, multiple lives - multiple selves and that people will follow their own will/wants despite everything, is fascinating.
If I had one complaint, I'd say that the beginning is far too tightly written. There's virtually no setting description, it's all action action action with some interior dialogue. After the first 30 pages or so, however, the narrative finally begins to expand and breathe, allowing for the intelligence and beauty to come out. And when it does...I can only applaud.
A very cool, very thought-provoking read.
short review for busy readers:
It's hard to describe this original, high concept short novel. Sci-fi? Climate Fiction? Experimental? Punk? Mash Up? In any case, extremely competently conceived and executed. A delight for style enthusiasts as well as spec fiction fans.
in detail:
"Tentacle" could be called a time travel novella, but that would be misleading. It could also be called an LGBT+ novella, but that would also be misleading.
What the novella does is take the notion of time -- and gender -- doubling, sometimes tripling, to reflect and expound upon itself.
That is: one transgender individual in the future has doubles in the 1990s and in the 1600s. He is conscious of every moment of those other lives as he lives his own, manipulating and planting the seeds of what his other, later selves will experience. Until he finds out...he's not the only multiple-life-liver.
It's a complex concept and difficult to render in prose, but Rita Indiana pulls off with ease. Never for a moment are you confused as to which life is being experienced or reflected upon. The overlaps and chains of events are minutely plotted to create an overall feeling of, not fate, but free will.
The Dominican Republic setting, Yoruba voodoo religion, multiple lives - multiple selves and that people will follow their own will/wants despite everything, is fascinating.
If I had one complaint, I'd say that the beginning is far too tightly written. There's virtually no setting description, it's all action action action with some interior dialogue. After the first 30 pages or so, however, the narrative finally begins to expand and breathe, allowing for the intelligence and beauty to come out. And when it does...I can only applaud.
A very cool, very thought-provoking read.
May 28, 2019
A bundle of modish ideas and themes blasted in a blender and spattered across 130 pages to resemble something vaguely novellish.
October 6, 2019
Nicely written, if a bit too mysterious at points.
Very interesting story, told densely, due to it’s length.
The treatment of dark-skinned Black bodies was a problem for me. It was unnecessary for the plot, and the use of the N——r seemed completely gratuitous. Similarly, the gratuitous sexual violence was disappointing and distracting. Unfortunate.
There was an important story to be told about power, patriarchy, race, sexual freedom, the Orisha... That story got lost.
Very interesting story, told densely, due to it’s length.
The treatment of dark-skinned Black bodies was a problem for me. It was unnecessary for the plot, and the use of the N——r seemed completely gratuitous. Similarly, the gratuitous sexual violence was disappointing and distracting. Unfortunate.
There was an important story to be told about power, patriarchy, race, sexual freedom, the Orisha... That story got lost.
July 15, 2018
Empecé a leer a Rita Indiana con unas expectativas altas y no sólo las ha superado con creces; es que no he leído nada igual. Ojo, que no estoy exagerando ni un poquito. Lo de Indiana en estas páginas es un ejercicio de creatividad fascinante que ha hecho de mí la persona más pesada del mundo al pedir una y otra vez a mis compis de trabajo y amistades que lean este libro cuanto antes. Me acerqué a la Mucama de Omicunlé sin saber lo que me iba a encontrar pero el adjetivo "apabullante", utilizado por Periférica en la contraportada del libro, es totalmente exacto. A partir de cuatro líneas narrativas separadas en el tiempo que, por supuesto, terminan confluyendo, Rita Indiana habla sobre política, corrupción, ecología, sexualidad y género, arte, tradición, tecnología, música... Con un dominio brillante de los personajes y las voces; capas, conexiones y giros argumentales sin fin. Estoy entusiasmada, se nota ¿verdad? Es una novela magnífica que pretendo releer con la tranquilidad de quien ya conoce lo bueno que tiene entre manos (y eso que releer no entra en mis planes, con tanto libro pendiente). Leedla. Cuanto antes.
March 16, 2021
Estoy encandilado.
Terminé el libro hace media hora, más o menos, y no dejo de darle vueltas (metafórica y literalmente, lo abro al azar, releo un fragmento, me paseo con él por la casa). En una narración dinámica, jodidamente entretenida, Rita Indiana Hernández consigue meter temas complejos y humanos sin sombra de artificios baratos. El arte contemporáneo, la destrucción ambiental, la política radical, la historia dictatorial de República Dominicana, puestos lado con lado con gadgets salidos de la ciencia ficción y magia yoruba en el fondo de los arrecifes. Todo envuelto en un ritmo de vorágine y la belleza elocuente de múltiples lenguajes.
En La mucama de Omicunlé, Indiana de fe de un dominio del oficio ya demostrado en Nombres y animales y en Papi. Sostiene el control de una narración difícil con tanta fluidez que el lector nunca nota lo arriesgado de su hazaña: mantiene una narración en tres tiempos entremezclados sin mostrar el sudor. Eso es disciplina. Eso es trabajo. Eso es literatura.
Y sumándole a todo lo anterior, ya admirable, ya digno de cariño infinito, nos queda al cerrar el libro esa difícil pregunta sobre el destino colectivo y el derrotero individual, sobre los mártires y el sacrificio y el egoísmo y la elección. "Esto no es ensaladita light, arroz con habichuela y vianda es lo que hay", te canto con El gran combo, Indiana, y agradezco esta prosa con cada miligramo de alegría y desconcierto.
Volveré a este libro pronto.
La sorpresa del rostro no me la quita nadie.
Terminé el libro hace media hora, más o menos, y no dejo de darle vueltas (metafórica y literalmente, lo abro al azar, releo un fragmento, me paseo con él por la casa). En una narración dinámica, jodidamente entretenida, Rita Indiana Hernández consigue meter temas complejos y humanos sin sombra de artificios baratos. El arte contemporáneo, la destrucción ambiental, la política radical, la historia dictatorial de República Dominicana, puestos lado con lado con gadgets salidos de la ciencia ficción y magia yoruba en el fondo de los arrecifes. Todo envuelto en un ritmo de vorágine y la belleza elocuente de múltiples lenguajes.
En La mucama de Omicunlé, Indiana de fe de un dominio del oficio ya demostrado en Nombres y animales y en Papi. Sostiene el control de una narración difícil con tanta fluidez que el lector nunca nota lo arriesgado de su hazaña: mantiene una narración en tres tiempos entremezclados sin mostrar el sudor. Eso es disciplina. Eso es trabajo. Eso es literatura.
Y sumándole a todo lo anterior, ya admirable, ya digno de cariño infinito, nos queda al cerrar el libro esa difícil pregunta sobre el destino colectivo y el derrotero individual, sobre los mártires y el sacrificio y el egoísmo y la elección. "Esto no es ensaladita light, arroz con habichuela y vianda es lo que hay", te canto con El gran combo, Indiana, y agradezco esta prosa con cada miligramo de alegría y desconcierto.
Volveré a este libro pronto.
La sorpresa del rostro no me la quita nadie.
April 26, 2022
Es el año 2027. Un dispositivo de seguridad extermina a un negro contaminado con un virus. Acilde espera a que el hombre deje de moverse para reanudar la limpieza de los ventanales. A ella no le falta nada trabajando de mucama para Esther Escudero, quien tiene poderes y la puso bajo la protección de Olokun, “una criatura marina que caminaba hacia atrás en el tiempo”. Olokun es andrógino y es el más misterioso de todos los Orishas de la religión yoruba.
Mientras tanto, en 2001, el artista plástico Argenis se ha instalado con sus mecenas Giorgio y Linda y empieza a vivir una aventura con bucaneros en el siglo XVII “¿Era una encarnación pasada? ¿Era esquizofrenia? ¿Brujería?”.
Hay todo un desfile de personajes y varias líneas temporales que me hicieron perder varias veces y me desconcertaron un poco. Es una historia de lo más extravagante pero dentro de este delirio hay una lógica. Al terminar el libro todo encajó perfectamente, aunque seguro me perdí mil detalles en esta marea de ritos, tecnología, ingredientes fantásticos, ciencia ficción, lo femenino y lo masculino y más y más.
Gran libro. Bien contado, con lo difícil que es llevar una historia como esta. Sentí varias veces que la novela estaba a punto de malograrse pero Rita Indiana tenía todo calculado. Voy a volver a esta escritora.
Mientras tanto, en 2001, el artista plástico Argenis se ha instalado con sus mecenas Giorgio y Linda y empieza a vivir una aventura con bucaneros en el siglo XVII “¿Era una encarnación pasada? ¿Era esquizofrenia? ¿Brujería?”.
Hay todo un desfile de personajes y varias líneas temporales que me hicieron perder varias veces y me desconcertaron un poco. Es una historia de lo más extravagante pero dentro de este delirio hay una lógica. Al terminar el libro todo encajó perfectamente, aunque seguro me perdí mil detalles en esta marea de ritos, tecnología, ingredientes fantásticos, ciencia ficción, lo femenino y lo masculino y más y más.
Gran libro. Bien contado, con lo difícil que es llevar una historia como esta. Sentí varias veces que la novela estaba a punto de malograrse pero Rita Indiana tenía todo calculado. Voy a volver a esta escritora.
March 24, 2021
Este libro fue sorpresa tras sorpresa, quizás haya quienes no les guste esto pero a mí me dejó encantada. La mucama de Omincunlé tiene de todo: ciencia ficción, hechicería, crisis ambiental, crisis políticas, vivencias humanas extrañas y mucho aprendizaje sobre la cultura dominicana.
Cada capítulo es un descubrimiento de la historia y sus personajes, pero además de eso, puedes leerlo rapidísimo y esto no niega que la narrativa está perfectamente diseñada en diálogos y palabras como mamagüevos. En fin, es un libro que provoca y emociona y confunde y esas historias siempre terminan en mis favoritas, además, Rita Indiana logra muy bien plasmar el problema de la crisis ambiental en nuestros océanos con el asunto del viaje en el tiempo pero también de los ritos de dioses y creencias de República Dominicana. Una mirada chingona de lo que se está haciendo en ficción especulativa en el caribe.
Cada capítulo es un descubrimiento de la historia y sus personajes, pero además de eso, puedes leerlo rapidísimo y esto no niega que la narrativa está perfectamente diseñada en diálogos y palabras como mamagüevos. En fin, es un libro que provoca y emociona y confunde y esas historias siempre terminan en mis favoritas, además, Rita Indiana logra muy bien plasmar el problema de la crisis ambiental en nuestros océanos con el asunto del viaje en el tiempo pero también de los ritos de dioses y creencias de República Dominicana. Una mirada chingona de lo que se está haciendo en ficción especulativa en el caribe.
March 17, 2019
Es digno de estudio cómo el fandom es capaz de prestar tanta atención a libros que apenas se ven en tres librerías mientras pasa por alto otros como éste, entre la ciencia ficción y la fantasía, publicados por editoriales que llegan a todas pero cuyos servicios de prensa y redes client... de colaboradores no abarcan su terreno. Una vez más hemos perdido la oportunidad de otorgar nuestro reconocimiento a una obra vibrante que, sin rubor, aúna la diversidad de aquel cyberpunk expuesto en Mirrorshades (que las convenciones ya no reconocen como cyberpunk), el mejor realismo mágico caribeño y un relato comprometido con la realidad de un país y su tiempo. En menos de 200 páginas.
No me atrevo a desglosar todo lo que Rita Indiana incluye en La mucama de Omicunlé, que es mucho; hurtaría el encanto de descubrir cómo hace carburar tantos elementos tan heterogéneos. De hecho lo que más me ha fascinado es cómo en las primeras cincuenta páginas parece que va a ir por una senda para, a cada cambio de capítulo, introducir un giro que funciona a pesar de darse de hostias con las convenciones y cualquier tipo de mesura. La sucesión termina siendo vertiginosa, todavía no tengo claro si bien cerrada y, de manera puntual, estridente para este lector de provincias. Sin embargo no le resta el menor atractivo a un libro que derrocha ambición, energía y exotismo.
No me atrevo a desglosar todo lo que Rita Indiana incluye en La mucama de Omicunlé, que es mucho; hurtaría el encanto de descubrir cómo hace carburar tantos elementos tan heterogéneos. De hecho lo que más me ha fascinado es cómo en las primeras cincuenta páginas parece que va a ir por una senda para, a cada cambio de capítulo, introducir un giro que funciona a pesar de darse de hostias con las convenciones y cualquier tipo de mesura. La sucesión termina siendo vertiginosa, todavía no tengo claro si bien cerrada y, de manera puntual, estridente para este lector de provincias. Sin embargo no le resta el menor atractivo a un libro que derrocha ambición, energía y exotismo.
June 27, 2019
I found this book extremely unpleasant to read. There was some clever writing (a man living two parallel universe lives at the same time, for example) but if I were just rating for enjoyment this would be a one star.
There are heavy topics here in terms of violence (pedophilia, sexual assault, homophobia, state sponsored murder, regular murder, etc.) but we never see any psychological consequences for these acts. They simply happen and then we move on. That, combined with the constant drug references and asides about genitals, made this book feel woefully immature.
This issue is also mirrored in the general world building. One of the worlds in which this book takes place has completely dead and lifeless oceans but we see no consequences of this either. There are no conversations about the vast and far-reaching consequences of an entire ocean dying. This leaves the book feeling very hollow and inconsequential despite the importance of the issues it is trying to address.
I would not recommend this book.
There are heavy topics here in terms of violence (pedophilia, sexual assault, homophobia, state sponsored murder, regular murder, etc.) but we never see any psychological consequences for these acts. They simply happen and then we move on. That, combined with the constant drug references and asides about genitals, made this book feel woefully immature.
This issue is also mirrored in the general world building. One of the worlds in which this book takes place has completely dead and lifeless oceans but we see no consequences of this either. There are no conversations about the vast and far-reaching consequences of an entire ocean dying. This leaves the book feeling very hollow and inconsequential despite the importance of the issues it is trying to address.
I would not recommend this book.
July 26, 2024
Wow. So many strands, skillfully interwoven. Taut. Tense. Terrific.
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Update 5/21/20: Just finished reading this for the second time. This time, my reading was different in that (during the Covid-19 pandemic/lockdown), I read it aloud during Zoom calls to my friend who didn't have her copy of the book with her in her current location. It was a great way to read the book as we could stop & discuss the sections as we read. And, really, this story leaves me with more questions than answers (which is ok with me).
Some questions... Those were some of my questions at the end, but there were so many more we discussed as we went along. Lots to think about & I'm so happy that I revisited this story. (Read it this second time for our book club because in 2020 we are reading the "Year of Publishing Women" books published by And Other Stories.)
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Update 5/21/20: Just finished reading this for the second time. This time, my reading was different in that (during the Covid-19 pandemic/lockdown), I read it aloud during Zoom calls to my friend who didn't have her copy of the book with her in her current location. It was a great way to read the book as we could stop & discuss the sections as we read. And, really, this story leaves me with more questions than answers (which is ok with me).
Some questions... Those were some of my questions at the end, but there were so many more we discussed as we went along. Lots to think about & I'm so happy that I revisited this story. (Read it this second time for our book club because in 2020 we are reading the "Year of Publishing Women" books published by And Other Stories.)
October 19, 2018
La Mucama de Omicunlé (Omikunle’s Maid) comes to us in the UK as Tentacle. There’s something about that new title that makes it sound more scary than it actually is. Then the blurb says …only she (the titular maid) can travel back in time and save the ocean – and humanity – from disaster. But first she must become the man she always was – with the help of a sacred anemone. When you read that description, you can understand why some reviewers here on Goodreads have called this “Caribbean Murakami”. But Murakami fans should be warned because although several plot elements have a Murakami-esque feel to them, there is more explicit sex and sexual violence here than you would find in a novel from the Japanese author.
The combination of new title and blurb makes you think you are launching into a sci-fi/fantasy novel, and I suppose there are elements of that. But the book is more than that. It is "technology, Yoruba ritual, queer politics, poverty, sex, colonialism, and contemporary art" (Oxford comma not mine).
The maid in question is Acilde who begins the story in the home of Esther Escudero (also known as Omicunlé) in a post-apocalyptic Dominican Republic about 10 years from now. The oceans are dead. Acilde is saving money for a procedure that will allow her to become the "man she always was" as the blurb puts it. But that transformation opens up more than a simple change of gender. The phrase "the man she always was" warns us that this isn’t going to be a "normal" book - I'm not referring to anything about gender change, but to the mixing of past, present and future that is perhaps the most standout feature of the book.
In parallel, Argenis is a struggling artist who gets the chance to join a creative programme led by Giorgio Menicucci. Here, something very strange begins to happen to him, also related to mixing of past and present.
Gradually, Acilde’s and Argenis’ stories come together, both involving a strange form of time travel with different times overlaid (in Argenis’ case, we see which is which because the novel’s “now” is narrated in the past tense whereas Argensis’ time travelled self is narrated in the present tense - this leads to tense changes in mid-paragraph fairly frequently).
It’s difficult to write more without including spoilers. The book blurb makes it clear (so this isn’t a spoiler!) that Acilde’s time travel relates to saving the oceans. There is an interesting review here: http://asterixjournal.com/book-review.... You can read this if you don’t mind spoilers, but I won’t say more about the plot. It is a disconcerting book to read. The time travel aspects make for a very non-linear narrative that often, as mentioned, switches in mid-paragraph. Add to that the huge list of characters where it can be difficult to keep track of who belongs where or when (in fact, I would probably advise readers to keep some kind of cast list to track this).
For me, it was interesting more than it was gripping. Perhaps if I knew more about the Dominican Republic I would understand more of the references and context.
I’m not sure about the new title.
The combination of new title and blurb makes you think you are launching into a sci-fi/fantasy novel, and I suppose there are elements of that. But the book is more than that. It is "technology, Yoruba ritual, queer politics, poverty, sex, colonialism, and contemporary art" (Oxford comma not mine).
The maid in question is Acilde who begins the story in the home of Esther Escudero (also known as Omicunlé) in a post-apocalyptic Dominican Republic about 10 years from now. The oceans are dead. Acilde is saving money for a procedure that will allow her to become the "man she always was" as the blurb puts it. But that transformation opens up more than a simple change of gender. The phrase "the man she always was" warns us that this isn’t going to be a "normal" book - I'm not referring to anything about gender change, but to the mixing of past, present and future that is perhaps the most standout feature of the book.
In parallel, Argenis is a struggling artist who gets the chance to join a creative programme led by Giorgio Menicucci. Here, something very strange begins to happen to him, also related to mixing of past and present.
Gradually, Acilde’s and Argenis’ stories come together, both involving a strange form of time travel with different times overlaid (in Argenis’ case, we see which is which because the novel’s “now” is narrated in the past tense whereas Argensis’ time travelled self is narrated in the present tense - this leads to tense changes in mid-paragraph fairly frequently).
It’s difficult to write more without including spoilers. The book blurb makes it clear (so this isn’t a spoiler!) that Acilde’s time travel relates to saving the oceans. There is an interesting review here: http://asterixjournal.com/book-review.... You can read this if you don’t mind spoilers, but I won’t say more about the plot. It is a disconcerting book to read. The time travel aspects make for a very non-linear narrative that often, as mentioned, switches in mid-paragraph. Add to that the huge list of characters where it can be difficult to keep track of who belongs where or when (in fact, I would probably advise readers to keep some kind of cast list to track this).
For me, it was interesting more than it was gripping. Perhaps if I knew more about the Dominican Republic I would understand more of the references and context.
I’m not sure about the new title.
March 17, 2023
Una trama enrevesada y rocambolesca, una prosa ágil, acelerada pero muy precisa narrativamente hablando. El símil perfecto de la música que hace Rita Indiana. Y es que a ella la conocí hace más de una década por su música. Antes de convertirse en novelista, era compositora y cantante. Y, por supuesto, letrista. Y esta novela (y supongo que el resto de su obra aunque no la he leído aún) es la fiel heredera de esa forma, de ese ritmo, de esa catarata de palabras bien hilvanadas, con una coherencia precisa, aunque a veces parezca un laberinto lleno de situaciones y personajes. Sin embargo, se sale de él bien librado.
Estuve dudando entre las tres y cuatro estrellas porque aunque Indiana domina el lenguaje y la narración, quizás el ritmo de la historia me resultaba demasiado acelerado y la trama algo confusa. Pero todo era para llevarnos hasta el final donde se aclara todo. Así que, sumen unas pizcas de distopía, de ciencia ficción, thriller histórico y político, de novela queer, de novela de aventuras, de realismo latinoamericano (no muy sucio), y otra pizca de costumbrismo con santería de por medio, Orishas, vidas pasadas y futuras, mundillo del arte contemporáneo, música y bandas cool, ambientalismo y ecologismo, retrato social de República Dominicana, indios taínos, playa, piratas, tesoros enterrados, anémonas, armas nucleares y viaje astral/en el tiempo en tres épocas diferentes. ¿Suena descabellado, sobreabundante y extremo? Pues sí, pero todas las partes, extrañamente, terminan empatando y bien.
¿De qué va la trama? Pues son tres partes. La primera es la de Alcide, la mucama de la santera Esther Escudero, quien también es asesora del presidente dominicano. Alcide recibirá un "don", siendo para ello reclutada por Eric, junto con el cual deben cuidar a una anémona en el acuario de Esther. En el futuro, Giorgio quiere ayudar a su esposa ecologista en la preservación de un arrecife de coral, y también apoyar a nuevos artistas emergentes del arte contemporáneo, para supuestamente con ello hacer dinero y financiar la construcción de un santuario en el mar, con el fin de preservar las especies y el ecosistema del arrecife. Para ello hace una residencia de artistas en el que convoca, entre otros, al pintor Argenis y al profesor cubano De la Barra. En el pasado, varios siglos atrás, posiblemente en la época de la conquista española, tres cazadores y marroquineros esperan hacer un trato con piratas, y dos de ellos asesinan al tercero, que era artista, y entierran en la playa una especie tesoro con sus grabados... Mientras, siglos después, Alcide y De la Barra se encuentran en la cárcel, siendo el primero enviado por el presidente, con quien había hecho un trato previo, porque este se lo prometió a Esther antes de morir... Allí en la cárcel, Alcide juntará todos los pedazos y tiempos de la trama, para finalmente lograr entender el porqué de la relación de todos estos personajes.
Estuve dudando entre las tres y cuatro estrellas porque aunque Indiana domina el lenguaje y la narración, quizás el ritmo de la historia me resultaba demasiado acelerado y la trama algo confusa. Pero todo era para llevarnos hasta el final donde se aclara todo. Así que, sumen unas pizcas de distopía, de ciencia ficción, thriller histórico y político, de novela queer, de novela de aventuras, de realismo latinoamericano (no muy sucio), y otra pizca de costumbrismo con santería de por medio, Orishas, vidas pasadas y futuras, mundillo del arte contemporáneo, música y bandas cool, ambientalismo y ecologismo, retrato social de República Dominicana, indios taínos, playa, piratas, tesoros enterrados, anémonas, armas nucleares y viaje astral/en el tiempo en tres épocas diferentes. ¿Suena descabellado, sobreabundante y extremo? Pues sí, pero todas las partes, extrañamente, terminan empatando y bien.
¿De qué va la trama? Pues son tres partes. La primera es la de Alcide, la mucama de la santera Esther Escudero, quien también es asesora del presidente dominicano. Alcide recibirá un "don", siendo para ello reclutada por Eric, junto con el cual deben cuidar a una anémona en el acuario de Esther. En el futuro, Giorgio quiere ayudar a su esposa ecologista en la preservación de un arrecife de coral, y también apoyar a nuevos artistas emergentes del arte contemporáneo, para supuestamente con ello hacer dinero y financiar la construcción de un santuario en el mar, con el fin de preservar las especies y el ecosistema del arrecife. Para ello hace una residencia de artistas en el que convoca, entre otros, al pintor Argenis y al profesor cubano De la Barra. En el pasado, varios siglos atrás, posiblemente en la época de la conquista española, tres cazadores y marroquineros esperan hacer un trato con piratas, y dos de ellos asesinan al tercero, que era artista, y entierran en la playa una especie tesoro con sus grabados... Mientras, siglos después, Alcide y De la Barra se encuentran en la cárcel, siendo el primero enviado por el presidente, con quien había hecho un trato previo, porque este se lo prometió a Esther antes de morir... Allí en la cárcel, Alcide juntará todos los pedazos y tiempos de la trama, para finalmente lograr entender el porqué de la relación de todos estos personajes.
November 9, 2020
El libro novela arranca en un futuro distópico (2027), en el que Acilde, la mucama de Esther Escudero, mientras hace la limpieza es testigo, sin asombro, de la ejecución de personas afectadas por una enfermedad viral. ¿Qué desastre se ha cernido sobre la sociedad?
A medida que avanzamos en la novela, encontramos historias que transcurren en cuatro tiempos, sin que quede en claro, en principio, cuál es el vínculo entre ellas.
Asistimos al poder de los dioses de origen afrocaribeño, y que por momentos nos sumerge en una atmósfera de características sobrenaturales, que gracias a la excelente redacción de Rita Indiana, resulta convincente y escalofriante.
Nenuco en Playa Bo, cuidando un homúnculo, y en otro tiempo asistiendo a Giorgio y Silvia, que actúan como mecenas del Argenis, artista en ciernes, que sueña con Roque y su grupo de bucaneros.
Me he encontrado con una novela muy original, muy bien redactada, y con una construcción dramática impecable.
Un salto cualitativo (en complejidad, no en calidad) respecto a su muy buena novela Nombres y Animales.
A medida que avanzamos en la novela, encontramos historias que transcurren en cuatro tiempos, sin que quede en claro, en principio, cuál es el vínculo entre ellas.
Asistimos al poder de los dioses de origen afrocaribeño, y que por momentos nos sumerge en una atmósfera de características sobrenaturales, que gracias a la excelente redacción de Rita Indiana, resulta convincente y escalofriante.
Nenuco en Playa Bo, cuidando un homúnculo, y en otro tiempo asistiendo a Giorgio y Silvia, que actúan como mecenas del Argenis, artista en ciernes, que sueña con Roque y su grupo de bucaneros.
Me he encontrado con una novela muy original, muy bien redactada, y con una construcción dramática impecable.
Un salto cualitativo (en complejidad, no en calidad) respecto a su muy buena novela Nombres y Animales.
January 10, 2019
There’s a lot happening in the 130 pages of ‘Tentacle’. It flits through many narrative points of view and several points in time, which turn out to be linked in mysterious ways. There are elements of the dystopian, magical, and queer, as well as artistic, environmental, colonialist, and political themes. I appreciated all of these and thought the weird temporal structure of events was well executed. The combination was original and potentially really powerful. However the short length meant that every theme was galloped through at top speed, giving neither reader nor characters time to breathe. The last novel I read, The Will to Battle, advanced its plot slowly and incrementally via extensive dialogue. By contrast, there is hardly any dialogue in ‘Tentacle’ at all; it alternates between internal stream of consciousness and bald statement of events by omniscient third person. Although both approaches have their benefits, the shift from one to the other between novels proved disconcerting. I would have liked ‘Tentacle’ to be longer, so that the intriguing characters and settings could be further developed. There were snapshots of the Dominican Republic in the past and future, which were evocative yet curtailed. The ending inevitably felt abrupt and somewhat arbitrary. This inconclusiveness made it difficult for me to feel anything substantive about the novel, as if it added up to less than the sum of its very promising parts.
May 12, 2022
No se que esperaba con este libro, pero fue mejor de lo que había pensado. Es una propuesta interesante, que juega con tres líneas temporales y mezcla tradiciones afrocubanas e historia de la República Dominicana, con toques de ciencia ficción, pero sin llegar a entrar de lleno en el género.
Como podrán ver, no hay una manera real de describirla, porque la lectura puede hacerse a diferentes niveles, pero todos ellos están conectados de alguna manera. El único pero que le pongo es que el final lo sentí un poco apresurado y creo que podría haber ahondado mucho más en la historia.
Como podrán ver, no hay una manera real de describirla, porque la lectura puede hacerse a diferentes niveles, pero todos ellos están conectados de alguna manera. El único pero que le pongo es que el final lo sentí un poco apresurado y creo que podría haber ahondado mucho más en la historia.
March 26, 2025
Dance Like a Butterfly, Sting Like an Anemone
A review of the And Other Stories paperback (November 15, 2018) translated by Achy Obejas from the Spanish language original La mucama de Omicunlé [The Maid of Omicunlé] (April 2015).
When I was trying to think of a parallel to Tentacle what came to mind was Icelandic author Sjón's Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was (2013) which was aptly described as a "mind-bending miniature historical epic." So from that I would say that Tentacle could be described as a mind-bending miniature science-fiction time travel epic.
A yellow variant of the giant Caribbean sea anemone. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
In the novella length work, the author takes us from a post-apocalyptic Dominican Republic in 2027 and 2037 back to the early 2000's and then even as far back as the days of pirates and buccaneers in the 17th Century. Two characters, the maid Alcide of the original Spanish title and a creepy misogynist artist Argenis, find themselves transported back in time through the voodoo-like powers of the stinging tentacles of Caribbean sea anemones. Alcide's transformation also involves a chemically induced sex-change.
Too much further information would get into spoiler territory but the overall arc of the book is Alcide's mission as a chosen one (her mistress was a voodoo priestess) to go back in time to prevent a reckless decision by the President of the Dominican Republic which made for the environmental catastrophe which poisoned the future lands and seas of the Caribbean. In that, it also has echoes of such things as Chris Marker's cult classic film La Jetée (1962) and its later inspired extension in Terry Gilliam's film 12 Monkeys (1995). There was also a delightful short parody film La Puppé (2003) in which the part of the time traveller was played by a plush toy dog 🤣.
All of that, combined with a quirky varied selection of music tracks (see below) made this a 5 star for me, even if I had reservations about the ending.
It was due to GR friend Berengaria's enthusiastic review that I sought out this book. For a more reserved rating and review (I do agree about the abrupt ending) see GR friend Sportyrod's review. Thanks to you both B and Rod!
Soundtrack
There is a Tentacle playlist that someone has assembled on YouTube which you can listen to here. It includes many if not most of the songs mentioned in the book, particularly at the DJ parties. It does go a bit overboard with 77 tracks and includes some entire albums. There does not appear to be a comparable version on Spotify.
A review of the And Other Stories paperback (November 15, 2018) translated by Achy Obejas from the Spanish language original La mucama de Omicunlé [The Maid of Omicunlé] (April 2015).
When I was trying to think of a parallel to Tentacle what came to mind was Icelandic author Sjón's Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was (2013) which was aptly described as a "mind-bending miniature historical epic." So from that I would say that Tentacle could be described as a mind-bending miniature science-fiction time travel epic.
A yellow variant of the giant Caribbean sea anemone. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
In the novella length work, the author takes us from a post-apocalyptic Dominican Republic in 2027 and 2037 back to the early 2000's and then even as far back as the days of pirates and buccaneers in the 17th Century. Two characters, the maid Alcide of the original Spanish title and a creepy misogynist artist Argenis, find themselves transported back in time through the voodoo-like powers of the stinging tentacles of Caribbean sea anemones. Alcide's transformation also involves a chemically induced sex-change.
Too much further information would get into spoiler territory but the overall arc of the book is Alcide's mission as a chosen one (her mistress was a voodoo priestess) to go back in time to prevent a reckless decision by the President of the Dominican Republic which made for the environmental catastrophe which poisoned the future lands and seas of the Caribbean. In that, it also has echoes of such things as Chris Marker's cult classic film La Jetée (1962) and its later inspired extension in Terry Gilliam's film 12 Monkeys (1995). There was also a delightful short parody film La Puppé (2003) in which the part of the time traveller was played by a plush toy dog 🤣.
All of that, combined with a quirky varied selection of music tracks (see below) made this a 5 star for me, even if I had reservations about the ending.
It was due to GR friend Berengaria's enthusiastic review that I sought out this book. For a more reserved rating and review (I do agree about the abrupt ending) see GR friend Sportyrod's review. Thanks to you both B and Rod!
Soundtrack
There is a Tentacle playlist that someone has assembled on YouTube which you can listen to here. It includes many if not most of the songs mentioned in the book, particularly at the DJ parties. It does go a bit overboard with 77 tracks and includes some entire albums. There does not appear to be a comparable version on Spotify.
March 14, 2021
“Hacía poco había participado en el Primer Festival de Performances de Puerto Plata con una pieza titulada ‘Home’, en la que, desnudo en una jaula de bateo, sin bate ni guante, recibía con su barriga y pecho las pelotas que salían disparadas por la boca mecánica a sesenta millas por hora.
Durante el día, Malagueta trabajaba en su próximo proyecto (...)”
.
Me gustan las novelas que contienen descripciones de obras de arte ficticias (¿y qué obras no lo son?) porque me dan la sensación de entrar en un gabinete de maravillas o curiosidades por el que voy a poder deambular. En éste de Rita Indiana (toda mi devoción ya sólo por crear a un personaje llamado Malagueta) hay pasadizos entre el pasado y el futuro, entre la fantasía y la religión y la distopía. Me senté hace rato a leer esta novela y la acabo de terminar con la impresión de que la comencé en otra época, en otra vida. He ahí el milagro de la ficción, que no es que logre hacerse realidad, sino que acaba invadiendo esa realidad con sus reglas y su atmósfera. Quiero leer más de Indiana. Lo quiero todo, papi.
.
Durante el día, Malagueta trabajaba en su próximo proyecto (...)”
.
Me gustan las novelas que contienen descripciones de obras de arte ficticias (¿y qué obras no lo son?) porque me dan la sensación de entrar en un gabinete de maravillas o curiosidades por el que voy a poder deambular. En éste de Rita Indiana (toda mi devoción ya sólo por crear a un personaje llamado Malagueta) hay pasadizos entre el pasado y el futuro, entre la fantasía y la religión y la distopía. Me senté hace rato a leer esta novela y la acabo de terminar con la impresión de que la comencé en otra época, en otra vida. He ahí el milagro de la ficción, que no es que logre hacerse realidad, sino que acaba invadiendo esa realidad con sus reglas y su atmósfera. Quiero leer más de Indiana. Lo quiero todo, papi.
.
May 13, 2020
4.5 stars, rounded up.
This novel got confusing at times with its time-travelling protagonist. I didn't realize until quite close to the end of the book how many time periods were involved.
Still, it is a bizarre and enchanting tale, bold, irrational. It interweaves so many elements and themes into its web. I'm curious about the historicity of parts of the story, like the development of the Dominican Republic's dairy industry by Jewish immigrants from Austria in the late 1930s.
I plan to re-read this book in the future--it pushes all my buttons.
This novel got confusing at times with its time-travelling protagonist. I didn't realize until quite close to the end of the book how many time periods were involved.
Still, it is a bizarre and enchanting tale, bold, irrational. It interweaves so many elements and themes into its web. I'm curious about the historicity of parts of the story, like the development of the Dominican Republic's dairy industry by Jewish immigrants from Austria in the late 1930s.
I plan to re-read this book in the future--it pushes all my buttons.
September 21, 2021
Punk Arthouse come cli-fi gender politics. Through a Santeria prophecy, a chosen one goes on a time journey beginning with transitioning to another gender and living multiple lives at once.
The beginning had high energy, excellent character development, intense violence and a lot of promise. After that, the message was stretched too thin. Too many characters and their backstories were introduced only to fade out.
There was a post apocalyptic setting in the Dominican Republic that hinges on saving the world by going back in time BUT the chosen one deviated quite far. The ending felt sudden which left me wondering was there an ending at all?
Overall, I liked the premise, the quirkiness, the horror backstory beginning was intense, the early characters were good, the sexuality acceptance was interesting, (what was with the lack of follow up of the sexual encounter though?), I liked the marine reef stuff (even though it was mid level), I enjoyed the punkness as it’s not really my jam, I liked that there was some history with no feeling of reading about history and most of all I liked the memorable uniqueness for this around the world challenge.
What prevented the higher rating? The sudden non-ending, the character decisions in the second half, the introduction of too many characters and not following what was happening for a lot of the second half. I had to reread several times to see if I missed. I’m glad I read it and I will remember it. I think a lot of people would enjoy this. If unsure, give it a crack.
The beginning had high energy, excellent character development, intense violence and a lot of promise. After that, the message was stretched too thin. Too many characters and their backstories were introduced only to fade out.
There was a post apocalyptic setting in the Dominican Republic that hinges on saving the world by going back in time BUT the chosen one deviated quite far. The ending felt sudden which left me wondering was there an ending at all?
Overall, I liked the premise, the quirkiness, the horror backstory beginning was intense, the early characters were good, the sexuality acceptance was interesting, (what was with the lack of follow up of the sexual encounter though?), I liked the marine reef stuff (even though it was mid level), I enjoyed the punkness as it’s not really my jam, I liked that there was some history with no feeling of reading about history and most of all I liked the memorable uniqueness for this around the world challenge.
What prevented the higher rating? The sudden non-ending, the character decisions in the second half, the introduction of too many characters and not following what was happening for a lot of the second half. I had to reread several times to see if I missed. I’m glad I read it and I will remember it. I think a lot of people would enjoy this. If unsure, give it a crack.
April 17, 2022
I'm not really sure that I can say that I liked this, although I was certainly upset at the ending, which means that I was invested in the characters and wanted a more happy ending. It's a science fiction novella about environmental disaster, with time travel in the Dominican Republic via sea anemone tentacle sting. There's colonialism, race, and poverty. Violent sex, drugs, murder, and rape. Tainos and transgenders. Robotic street-sweepers killing Haitian refugees on the streets like so much trash. It's a bleak novel, despite its vibrant, pretty cover. And for this bleak violence, and for the break-neck pacing, and the dark themes told in such a stark way, I couldn't quite connect with this work.
June 17, 2016
Me encantó, es una historia tan refrescante, simplemente sin palabras, soy fan de esta mujer.
Recomiendo se lean este libro, es una cosa loca.
Recomiendo se lean este libro, es una cosa loca.
October 29, 2020
WiT
This book was WILD ! Can I even describe this book to you?
In the year 2024, a tsunami, attributed to climate change, comes and destroys a fragile ecosystem off the coast of the Dominican Republic. The coral reef fails and sea life suffers a collapse. Black market sea life sales soar, and a specific anemone lives in a jar in the home of the nation's Ominculne, the head of the officially declared ancient religion.
In 1991, the anemone lives in a hole in the coral reef off the coast.
Giorgio and Linda buy a strip of the Playa Bo in order to preserve and conserve the fragile coral reef population directly off of the coast. Linda is painfully passionate about saving the oceans, comparing her eyes on the ocean to those of an oncologist's on the body of his patient - knowing that she can save it, if only she could gather the funding for her research. Giorgio is seemingly driven by his much baser love of Linda.
With twisted and overlapping time lines and narratives, it is too easy to lose one's way in this short book. A secretive religion in which a sea anemone can bestow time travel is the quiet eye in this storm, easily overlooked.
This book demands attention and if one reads it straight through, one might turn immediately to page 1 to begin again. Or, if the reader does not sit easily with confusion like myself, they might find themselves returning to earlier chapters at key points along the way.
It is safe to say that there is much to turn over in one's mind and speculate upon from this story. About the characters, about the references to historical people and events, current political and economical phenomena, and cultural and religious history surrounding the area. There is also quite a discussion of sexuality woven into the narratives, I assume to add even more color to the already burgeoning social commentary.
The overlapping timelines type of time travel and the overarching theme of environmental politics brought to mind Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time.
This book was WILD ! Can I even describe this book to you?
In the year 2024, a tsunami, attributed to climate change, comes and destroys a fragile ecosystem off the coast of the Dominican Republic. The coral reef fails and sea life suffers a collapse. Black market sea life sales soar, and a specific anemone lives in a jar in the home of the nation's Ominculne, the head of the officially declared ancient religion.
In 1991, the anemone lives in a hole in the coral reef off the coast.
Giorgio and Linda buy a strip of the Playa Bo in order to preserve and conserve the fragile coral reef population directly off of the coast. Linda is painfully passionate about saving the oceans, comparing her eyes on the ocean to those of an oncologist's on the body of his patient - knowing that she can save it, if only she could gather the funding for her research. Giorgio is seemingly driven by his much baser love of Linda.
With twisted and overlapping time lines and narratives, it is too easy to lose one's way in this short book. A secretive religion in which a sea anemone can bestow time travel is the quiet eye in this storm, easily overlooked.
This book demands attention and if one reads it straight through, one might turn immediately to page 1 to begin again. Or, if the reader does not sit easily with confusion like myself, they might find themselves returning to earlier chapters at key points along the way.
It is safe to say that there is much to turn over in one's mind and speculate upon from this story. About the characters, about the references to historical people and events, current political and economical phenomena, and cultural and religious history surrounding the area. There is also quite a discussion of sexuality woven into the narratives, I assume to add even more color to the already burgeoning social commentary.
The overlapping timelines type of time travel and the overarching theme of environmental politics brought to mind Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time.
October 18, 2018
Reading Rita Indiana's dystopian novella Tentacle I was immediately reminded of the world building, structure and large in scope ideas of the post-cyberpunk of Paolo Baciagalupi and Ian MacDonald and as such craved the depth of exploration of character and scenario that their massive works allow for; but her style grips you and her ideas excite, her multi-layered structure compels you to dive in to the world she is painting and open your mind to her messages, and the lack of pages feels less important.
But still if she wanted to follow the path of Murakami when he adapted the story "The Wind-up Bird and Tuesday's Women" in to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle I'd be thrilled. And that's not an accidental parallel with Murakami either, the other-worldly and magical nature of his work can be found in the filth of Indiana's portrait of a Dominican Republic destroyed by greed and corruption I feel.
A truly excellent selection by the publisher & Other Stories in this year of women in translation. And how beautiful is the cover?
But still if she wanted to follow the path of Murakami when he adapted the story "The Wind-up Bird and Tuesday's Women" in to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle I'd be thrilled. And that's not an accidental parallel with Murakami either, the other-worldly and magical nature of his work can be found in the filth of Indiana's portrait of a Dominican Republic destroyed by greed and corruption I feel.
A truly excellent selection by the publisher & Other Stories in this year of women in translation. And how beautiful is the cover?
December 24, 2024
Ta muy interesate. Me encanta el escenario y algunas escenas, como la del cambio de cuerpo. Mi único problema es que sentí que el escenario se come a la historia a veces en vez de que estén en equilibro. Pero still good.
May 4, 2020
Tentacle is a book that traffics in absolutes: women are either saintly Cassandras aware of the true nature of the world and unable to do anything, or they’re total idiots whose existence is predicated on “daddy’s money”. Men are closeted machos who can’t bear to let go of their performative masculinity, liberally using homophobic slurs in their interior and exterior dialogue, or they’re literal embodiments of saints. Art is either conceptual and stupid or classical and naive, unless you’re possessed of the gift of sight and then only if you’re a painter. Organised religion is the domain of the cruel and petty, traditional religion and local customs are the bulwark against the chaos of the world and its potential salvation.
This is a deeply cynical book that says that the planet is doomed because we’re all at our core self-serving and hollow, written in arrogant and knowing prose that makes every character seem petty, unlikeable and useless, and the central conceit that a time-travelling ex-prostitute couldn’t possibly be able to succeed in their mission because of their own inherent selfishness and failure.
I don’t know if this book is bad because of how poorly it views everyone or despite it, but I do know that I cringed internally every time Jewish characters were referred to dismissively as “Jews”, gay characters were referred to dismissively as “F———“, women were referred to dismissively as “sluts” and “whores”, and artists were portrayed as self-serving and incapable of decision. Pretty much the only thing this book reveres is Santeria, and even then that reverence takes on a cruel and ironic edge when caught up in all the casual meanness that this book traffics in.
This is a deeply cynical book that says that the planet is doomed because we’re all at our core self-serving and hollow, written in arrogant and knowing prose that makes every character seem petty, unlikeable and useless, and the central conceit that a time-travelling ex-prostitute couldn’t possibly be able to succeed in their mission because of their own inherent selfishness and failure.
I don’t know if this book is bad because of how poorly it views everyone or despite it, but I do know that I cringed internally every time Jewish characters were referred to dismissively as “Jews”, gay characters were referred to dismissively as “F———“, women were referred to dismissively as “sluts” and “whores”, and artists were portrayed as self-serving and incapable of decision. Pretty much the only thing this book reveres is Santeria, and even then that reverence takes on a cruel and ironic edge when caught up in all the casual meanness that this book traffics in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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