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Jump to navigationJump to searchIt Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo and Elizabeth Bryer (translator) (view source)
Revision as of 07:25, 25 September 2019
, 07:25, 25 September 2019no edit summary
''Some episodes and characters in this novel are inspired by real events.'' The reader is told this at the end of the novel. Although usually prefacing the narrative, this book end illuminates what came before. It becomes a semi-autofiction work in retrospect. The reader is left thinking which events and characters are based in reality. It therefore darkens the story; which episodes in this nightmarish world are true? It adds a layer of gritty realism to a story that, at times, descends into absurd levels of nihilism.
Some of the rioters and gangsters Adelaida has to deal with are incredibly depraved. Returning to her house after it is invaded by gangsters Borgo writes, ''There was a strong stench of shit, and half the furniture was gone…she gone… she shit wherever she pleased. The home I'd grown up in had been turned into a filthy pit.'' The depravity seen in her own home is disgusting and borders on absurd. However, Borgo uses this absurdity to illustrate to the reader the depths of despair her country has fallen into. Borgo utilises a range of different scenes to highlight the lawless and warped life of Venezuelans. This ranges from a gang drooling over a prepubescent girl dancing provocatively on top of a casket to a dead woman being hurled out a window and ignored by passers-by.
The reality is that the situation in Venezuela is dire. This is in part due to an 'economic war' declared by Hugo Chavez, the former President of Venezuela, and continuing into Nicolas Maduro's reign. Its currency is virtually worthless, with Borgo writing, ''worthless skyscrapers, that's what our national currency has become: a tall tale.'' The metaphoric use of ''tall tale'' highlights the falsity of the Bolivar (Venezuela's currency). Currency only works if the populace believes it to have value, ''a tall tale'' signifies that it has become unbelievable and, as such, is worthless.
