Nona Fernandez - Space Invaders
5 ⭐
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Translated Fiction, Latin American Literature, Novella.
Translated by: Natasha Wimmer
Original Title: Space Invaders
Original Language: Spanish
Pages: 96
Format: Paperback Proof
Publisher: Daunt Books Publishing
Date Published: 7th July 2022
Huge Thank You to Daunt Books Publishing for a proof copy.
Book Blurb:
Space Invaders is the story of a group of childhood friends who, in adulthood, are preoccupied with uneasy memories and visions of their classmate Estrella González Jepsen. In their dreams, they catch glimpses of Estrella’s braids, hear echoes of her voice, and read old letters that eventually, mysteriously, stopped arriving. They recall regimented school assemblies, nationalistic class performances, and a trip to the beach. Soon it becomes clear that Estrella’s father was a ranking government officer implicated in the violent crimes of the Pinochet regime, and the question of what became of her after she left school haunts her erstwhile friends. Growing up, these friends—from her pen pal, Maldonado, to her crush, Riquelme—were old enough to sense the danger and tension that surrounded them, but were powerless in the face of it. They could control only the stories they told one another and the “ghostly green bullets” they fired in the video game they played obsessively.
My Review:
In this short novella, Nona
Fernandez explores memories of a group of friends who lived their childhood during
Chile’s Pinochet regime. These friends remember their classmate Estrella
Gonzalez Jepssen who one day stops coming to school. Her friends are confused
about her disappearance. They wonder what happened to her and all of that is
captured by their dreams, fears, memories, snapshots, letters and important
events during their childhood. They remember playing Space Invaders, writing letters,
meeting Estrella’s parents, and seeing her in class, but these memories are
blurred with reality, such as news of killings, protests, and disappearances.
They use all of their senses to remember, but at times it is hard for them to
understand the line between reality and fantasy. Each chapter of the book is
told from a viewpoint of a different friend and there is a glimpse of what each
of them is going through whilst growing up under the Pinochet regime.
In this novella, we don’t get to
know the characters in depth but we learn so much about their childhood. Their
dreams, fears, demons and of course their day-to-day life. I loved how the book
centres around the Space Invaders video game that these friends used to play.
This game is used as an analogy throughout the book, too. I also loved how each
of them remember Estrella in their way, through different experiences and
senses but they all have one thing in common with her. They all played Space
Invaders together with her.
Overall: I honestly adored this novella.
It is such a powerful read. Nona Fernandez uses simple words in such a powerful
way and she doesn’t use many of them to paint such a strong tension and pictures
of different memories and events that this group of friends lived through
during their childhood. This story is going to stay with me for a while as it
is just so powerful and beautifully written.
About the Author:
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