Malinche
by Laura Esquivel
Through the eyes of the historical native woman of the
novel's title, Esquivel (Like Water for
Chocolate) reveals the defeat and
destruction of Montezuma's 16th-century Mexicas empire at the hands of Spanish
conquistador Hernán Cortés. Malinche, also called Malinalli, was sold into
slavery as a child and later became "The Tongue," Cortés's
interpreter and lover—remembered by history as a traitor for her contribution
to the brutal Spanish triumph. In her lyrical but flawed fifth novel, Esquivel
details richly imagined complications for a woman trapped between the ancient
Mexicas civilization and the Spaniards. Esquivel revels in descriptions of the
role of ancient gods in native life and Malinalli's theological musings on the
similarities between her belief system and Christianity. But what the book
offers in anthropological specificity, it lacks in narrative immediacy, even
while Esquivel also imagines Cortés's point of view. The author also packs the
arc of Malinalli's life into a relatively short novel: she bears Cortés an
illegitimate son, marries another Spaniard and has a daughter before her sad
demise. The resulting disjointed storytelling gives short shrift to this
complex heroine, a woman whose role in Mexican history is controversial to this
day. (Publishers Weekly)
Meeting Date/Time:
Jueves Noviembre 6, 8pm CST
(Google Hangouts)
