By Zaira Eliette Espinosa
In an interview, the writer Daniel Sada said: “A story that is forgotten is not a good story; that is one of its characteristics, I don’t know why. It is a much older genre than the novel, it comes from legend, from fable, which had to be very effective for people to remember them, because they went from mouth to mouth.”
To past recommendations of storybooks, and memorable stories, I now add the book Amores que matan by Rosa Beltrán. Several days had to pass between stories, to chew and digest them, to reach the reflective core and keep in my memory the richness of that fiction which is closer to reality. In the first part, entitled Darwinian Tales, is «Survival of the fittest.» The story recounts the training given by a husband to his wife, so that she will cope with his absence when she becomes a widow. She undergoes all kinds of tests, to finally prove that madness can be a lifesaver. Just as Darwin vindicates his theory of evolution, Beltrán plays with the evolution of emotions, the deep-rooted feelings of belonging to a species that is reaffirmed in love, and ironies. Conjugal and filial love relationships between mother and children, between psychiatrist and patient. Everything unfolds like a catalog of Darwinian conditions. Later it moves to the theme of Loves that kill: stories of lovers and their nights, love for lyrics, love toward mothers, platonic loves, love in postmodernity, first love, love for family, love for work, love for travel, love for ritual and love for ideals.
In the story Vacations, the family appears in a landscape of frustrations. Each member is delineated with the setbacks of everyday life. The crabs and the skylights become symbolic. A parents’ relationship traces a postcard of shipwrecks in front of the beach, as a witness and part, because of the salt that unites them: tears and depths. The journey as a chronicle of the dissolution of something that once united.
Beltrán presents a bevy of characters who love and hate, who resolve their lives with the devastating conviction of love. And yet, at the same time, they renew the certainty that love is pure in all manifestations, even the darkest.
If you are still looking for your readings for the summer, keep in mind Loves that kill. Each story will have a surprise for you. You will like these stories especially if you enjoy fiction with realistic, and ironic touches. Rosa Beltrán is a novelist, short story writer, essayist and translator. Part of her work has been translated into different languages
*This excerpt was published with authorization, to keep reading form this author please visit: https://www.elhorizonte.mx/opinion/zaira-eliette-espinosa/2442999
