READER: Monica Chapa Domercq
It is rare to encounter a novel that so succinctly describes the intimacies of modern relationships yet Andrés Barba accomplishes this in the four nouvelles that comprise Ha dejado de llover. The characters that inhabit these stories are fascinating; a B-list rock star who suddenly becomes a parent after impregnating a groupie (Paternidad), a resentful daughter who reluctantly deals with her difficult mother’s mortality (Astucia), a budding teenager who struggles with the infidelity of a parent (Infidelidad) and a glamorous mother who has eschewed the death of her ex-husband and the emotional needs of her daughter (Compras).
Readers who may not be familiar with the plazas, apartments and cafés of Madrid will appreciate Barba’s intimate introduction to the city and its culture. Andrés Barba, named one of Granta’s Best of Young Spanish Novelists in 2010, certainly earns the title, and the English-speaking audience deserves the pleasure of discovering such a prolific and talented writer. I highly recommend Ha dejado de llover for translation
Barba resolves the conflict of his characters as resentment, misinterpretation and jealousy are replaced by compassion and understanding-- when one’s perspective is altered by realization of a simple truth. Delivered in spare yet poetic prose, readers will find the novel, its characters and universal themes about the complexity of human relationships entirely relatable. Besides the cohesive literary style that Barba employs throughout Ha dejado de llover, there is another thread that binds these four nouvelles together; Barba says that Madrid is the true protagonist of the novel.
The narrative follows these characters closely through particularly difficult times in their lives, when the house of cards that figuratively represents the constructs of their most important relationships threatens to fall. Barba is exceptional at portraying the internal life of his characters by describing the way they relate and react to each other, Antón’s quiet rejection of the movies that his not-often-seen father asks him to watch (Paternidad) or Nelly’s daughter frozen at a stoplight, regretting her outfit choice as her attractive mother approaches (Compras) are indicative of the way Barba so beautifully choreographs scenes that reveal conflict and the fragile nature of our relationships.
It is rare to encounter a novel that so succinctly describes the intimacies of modern relationships yet Andrés Barba accomplishes this in the four nouvelles that comprise Ha dejado de llover. The characters that inhabit these stories are fascinating; a B-list rock star who suddenly becomes a parent after impregnating a groupie (Paternidad), a resentful daughter who reluctantly deals with her difficult mother’s mortality (Astucia), a budding teenager who struggles with the infidelity of a parent (Infidelidad) and a glamorous mother who has eschewed the death of her ex-husband and the emotional needs of her daughter (Compras).
