A Luminous Republic | 
^p 78 Children‘s nonhierarchical sense of community, forming an alternate society, an anarchist utopia with new language. The terror induced by their exit from society, leaving the adults in their lives, refusing to conform, “capable of destroying what had been the patient work of centuries.†Yes, jungle vs. town, chaos vs. civilization metaphors=worn, but he pulls it off by the straightforward telling. A luminous republic…tipped towards violence?
^ p184. So many beautiful analogies and observances. The distanced and wary but thoughtful narrator, looking back on trauma after twenty years. The careful administrative tone that tries to suppress both the violence & the magic of the wild children, only heightening the unease. The push to normalcy. The careful doling out of information. Feels like a Greene narrator, trying to quell emotion, evaluating moral failings. This book will haunt me.
pickIntro references Lord of the Flies & Heart of Darkness, I‘d add Coetzee & Graeme Greene for the hapless but pensive bureaucrat in the jungle. Runaway 12-yr-olds terrorize town of San Cristóbal. Societal fear of “other,†response to violence, child‘s innocence/power, creativity, play, media frenzy, academic studies, parental anxiety. “What electric current jumped from their children to ours?†Strong storytelling. Eerie. Beautiful translation. 2020
pickWhat starts out as a matter of fact bureaucratic re-telling of a Cities killing of 32 feral children, turns into a commentary on power of music, law and justice, causes of violence, reality of childhood, the friendship of marriage, roots of language, society‘s views on poverty, what is reality, what is truth.
Not sure how exactly to summarize this exploration of one of our primordial fears: what's out there beyond our civilized constructions.
so-so2/5âï¸ Had read a collection of novellas by this author a while back and really enjoyed them, so I was excited for this new #translated #novella about a city under siege by 30-something feral children and the city‘s efforts to find them. This one didn‘t come together for me. I liked the writing style and the creepy suspenseful tone throughout, but struggled to really believe all the plot points. Read on #scribd
