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The Wind That Lays Waste
The Wind That Lays Waste: A Novel | Selva Almada
10 posts | 7 read | 1 reading | 7 to read
A taut, lyrical portrait of four people thrown together on a single day in rural Argentina The Wind That Lays Waste begins in the great pause before a storm. Reverend Pearson is evangelizing across the Argentinian countryside with Leni, his teenage daughter, when their car breaks down. This act of God or fate leads them to the workshop and home of an aging mechanic called Gringo Brauer and a young boy named Tapioca. As a long day passes, curiosity and intrigue transform into an unexpected intimacy between four people: one man who believes deeply in God, morality, and his own righteousness, and another whose life experiences have only entrenched his moral relativism and mild apathy; a quietly earnest and idealistic mechanics assistant, and a restless, skeptical preachers daughter. As tensions between these characters ebb and flow, beliefs are questioned and allegiances are tested, until finally the growing storm breaks over the plains. Selva Almadas exquisitely crafted debut, with its limpid and confident prose, is profound and poetic, a tactile experience of the mountain, the sun, the squat trees, the broken cars, the sweat-stained shirts, and the destroyed lives. The Wind That Lays Waste is a philosophical, beautiful, and powerfully distinctive novel that marks the arrival in English of an author whose talent and poise are undeniable.
LibraryThing
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psalva
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Mehso-so

This is the kind of book that raises a lot of philosophical questions and makes me wish I had read it with a group so I could discuss its implications. The story itself deals with Reverend Pearson and his daughter Leni. Their car breaks down and they end up at the home/auto shop of Brauer and his boy assistant. ⬇️
#readingtheamericas2023 #Argentina

psalva The characters‘ conflicting philosophical views end up becoming a focus of the book. Religious morality vs. apathy, moral relativism, and skepticism. This was the author‘s debut and her poetic writing really shines. As for the story, I need to reflect more on my feelings about it. 14mo
15 likes1 comment
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ReadingRachael
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Pickpick

This short novel in translation tells the story of Reverend Pearson and his teenage daughter (who travel for Pearson to evangelize throughout the Argentinian countryside). When their car breaks down they end up being the temporary guests of a mechanic and a teenage boy who goes by the name Tapioca. Definitely character-based. Philosophical. Reminds me of the US “Southern Gothic” genre. A lot to reflect on in just 124 pages.

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thereflectiveflaneur
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Pickpick

Charming! Wonderful musings on love and religion. Beautifully crafted! Excellent read!

5 likes1 stack add
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Picaveli
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Home for Turkey Day aka Charco and Deep Vellum pickup day 😜

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alisonrose
Pickpick

As I thought, this little novella had a lot to say, about faith and the different forms it takes, how its presence or absence can affect each of us in unique ways, and how goodness and badness are not necessarily tied to either. The two men who are the central characters have come to their present realities in believable ways. I do wish we got more from the two younger characters, especially Leni. But this was a lovely quick read. 4/5 ⭐️

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alisonrose
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alisonrose

From time to time, they would go into the forest and observe its behavior. The forest: one great creature seething with life. A man could learn all he needed to know just by watching nature at work. Everything was written there in the forest, continually, as if in a book of inexhaustible wisdom. The mystery and its revelation. Everything, if you could learn to hear and see what nature had to tell and show.

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alisonrose
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This is a tiny little book—only 124 pages—but it sounds like it could pack quite an emotional and philosophical punch. #nowreading

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Liberty
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August is Women in Translation Month! I‘m going to attempt to post about a different book each day. 📚
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I have not read this yet, but I hope to soon! The blurb says it‘s “A taut, lyrical portrait of four people thrown together on a single day in rural Argentina.” I love a single day book. It‘s by Argentinian author Selva Almada and is translated from the Spanish by Chris Andrews. It was released by Graywolf Press. #womenintranslationmonth 🖤📚🖤

Mimo1 Great post 5y
HeatherBlue Gorgeous picture! 5y
94 likes5 stack adds2 comments