- Something a little strange, that's what you notice, that she's not a woman like all the others. She looks fairly young, twenty-five, maybe a little more, petite face, a little catlike, small turned-up nose. The shape of her face, it's ... more roundish than oval, broad forehead, pronounced cheeks too but then they come down to a point, like with cats.- What about her eyes?
Description:
Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman is like nothing I have read before. Riveting, mysterious, horrifying, secretive, fearful, and hopeless, the novel forces you to try to understand who these characters are who are talking, where they are, and what is going to happen to them on the next page.
Written entirely as a dialogue mostly between two men, Kiss of the Spider Woman unfolds its secrets very slowly. A word here and a phrase there in their conversations is all we have to go on.
The speakers are slowly revealed to be two cellmates languishing in an foul Argentine jail, passing their prison sentences by talking with each other. Molina, a middle age gay man serving time for abusing a child, relates long plots of his favorite movies to his cellmate Valentin, a youthful revolutionary. In their dark cell, these plots grippingly told help pass the time and take their minds away from their situation. But even these stories can only temporarily stave off their depression over their lot in life.
As the men grow closer, they begin to discuss their lives, thoughts about politics, and plans for the future. Valentin initially disdains Molina for his feminine side, but eventually grows to respect him for his generosity in sharing food. This compassion along with Molina's tender care help Valentin survive a devastating illness.
Much is left unsaid by these men who live in separate worlds of unrest, fear, suspicion, and revolution. Valentin is secretive about his previous actions outside the prison to protect Molina should the jailers decide to torture his friend for information. Molina, likewise, has secrets of his own regarding his life and future that he keeps from Valentin for his own reasons.
Yes, it is dark. Yes, it is told only in dialogue. Yes, it has little action beyond the plot of movies and what little these men can do in their cells to survive. And yes, it revolves around the hardships of two men hopeless imprisoned.
But there is so much more that is compelling about this book. Little by little, Puig reveals more and more about each character, his dreams and frustrations to flesh them out slowly, casually, constantly adding minute changes in them with each conversation to make readers sympathetic or angry with each man.
I loved its bleakness, its confusion, its subtlety, and its quality of the unknown that drives the plot forward. It is a book difficult to put down, tantalizing with its revelations, and spare in its descriptions. But altogether it is a gripping book that forces readers to pay attention and discover the truth about these men and their dreams, right up to the final pages and the surprises revealed there.
Written entirely as a dialogue mostly between two men, Kiss of the Spider Woman unfolds its secrets very slowly. A word here and a phrase there in their conversations is all we have to go on.
The speakers are slowly revealed to be two cellmates languishing in an foul Argentine jail, passing their prison sentences by talking with each other. Molina, a middle age gay man serving time for abusing a child, relates long plots of his favorite movies to his cellmate Valentin, a youthful revolutionary. In their dark cell, these plots grippingly told help pass the time and take their minds away from their situation. But even these stories can only temporarily stave off their depression over their lot in life.
As the men grow closer, they begin to discuss their lives, thoughts about politics, and plans for the future. Valentin initially disdains Molina for his feminine side, but eventually grows to respect him for his generosity in sharing food. This compassion along with Molina's tender care help Valentin survive a devastating illness.
Much is left unsaid by these men who live in separate worlds of unrest, fear, suspicion, and revolution. Valentin is secretive about his previous actions outside the prison to protect Molina should the jailers decide to torture his friend for information. Molina, likewise, has secrets of his own regarding his life and future that he keeps from Valentin for his own reasons.
Yes, it is dark. Yes, it is told only in dialogue. Yes, it has little action beyond the plot of movies and what little these men can do in their cells to survive. And yes, it revolves around the hardships of two men hopeless imprisoned.
But there is so much more that is compelling about this book. Little by little, Puig reveals more and more about each character, his dreams and frustrations to flesh them out slowly, casually, constantly adding minute changes in them with each conversation to make readers sympathetic or angry with each man.
I loved its bleakness, its confusion, its subtlety, and its quality of the unknown that drives the plot forward. It is a book difficult to put down, tantalizing with its revelations, and spare in its descriptions. But altogether it is a gripping book that forces readers to pay attention and discover the truth about these men and their dreams, right up to the final pages and the surprises revealed there.
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Vargas Llosa, Mario. The Storyteller
There is just something about this novel of an Amazonian anthropologist and a native "Storyteller" who travels among vanishing tribes to tell their stories that conveys a similar tone through its narration as The Kiss of the Spider Woman. Both are wonderful, dark, confusing tales told by interesting characters in unusual settings, and which brings new light to complex, foreign situations.
Lowrie, Donald. My Life in Prison
The true memoir of a man serving a 15-year sentence in San Quentin prison in the early 1900s. Riveting first-hand accounts of the men and guards in this typically squalid, unfeeling atmosphere. Highly recommended. (previously reviewed here)
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