“Juan knows little of the interior life of his father Ranz; but when Juan marries, he begins to consider the past anew, and begins to ponder what he doesn’t really want to know. Secrecy–its possible convenience, its price, and even its civility–hovers throughout the novel. A Heart So White becomes a sort of anti-detective story of human nature. Intrigue; the sins of the father; the fraudulent and the genuine; marriage and strange repetitions of violence.”*
For no reason at all, I found this novel difficult to get through. Alright, for almost no reason at all. One can definitely detect the mastery of author Javier Marias over his subject matter – Marias exhibits quite the literary talent – the slow build up, the quiet, psychological upheaval and a climax both understated and life-changing. So yes, this book presents a wonderful opportunity for the author and the reader to explore the idea of marriage and relationships – one just needs to get through a couple of pages.
Perhaps the novel’s slow start presented an unthinkable roadblock in finishing the novel. I quite disliked the fragmented stories and asides that too gently became connected. The narrator experiences a number of seemingly unconnected occurrences that only become relevant at the novel’s turning point (but what an unexpected turning point it is!). I also disliked the transitioning between storylines – our narrator quickly switched betweens scenes and thoughts without a word, and he seemed quite fond of jumping from one subject to the next in a most disorienting manner. Yes, all will be revealed in the end, yet I simply could not find the patience to deal with incomprehensibly serious moments.
I have decided to avoid all talk of marriage, love and relationships that the narrator contemplates to distraction in this novel. Instead, I am rather fond of Marias’ theme of interpretation. The narrator and his wife are both translators, who work to most accurately translate the words and speeches of politicians, government officials and all other manner of creature. It tickled me to think of the narrator speaking of utter seriousness of translating another’s words to the most accurate of degrees. The narrator does not identify himself as an interpreter, but a translator (two very different things!). Yet, the entire novel consists of our narrator, Juan, attempting to interpret to the reader a variety of truths, experiences and thoughts.
Verdict: A Heart So White consists of a variety of hard-thought truths, intense dialogue and even intenser thoughts. But while Marias is literarily provoking, I found the narrator’s descent into explanation and drawn-out thought processes to be overly tiring. The novel appeared slow at times and the narrator overly concerned with the most minute of objects and experiences. Every word, action and occurrence possessed a meaning at the end of the story that requires exhaustive attention. So, if a reader enjoys thinking, and reading about thoughts and the fears a man has about marriage, read this novel. Otherwise, feel free to pass by A Heart So White.
*Marias, Javier. A Heart So White. Trans. Margaret Jull Costa. London: Harvill, 1995.
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