Week12: Faces in the Crowd

Hi, everyone. Welcome to my week 12 blog. How was everyone's weekend? Time flies so fast. This week’s blog is also the last book I read this semester. I have to say that this course is really a wonderful course that allows me to read a lot of meaningful books. If I have opportunities in the future, I would like to take more reading courses just like this course.

This week I read the book "Faces in the Crowd" which was written by Valeria Luiselli. When I'm reading this book, I still feel a bit confused, as if the narrator is interweaving memories while recounting them. I don't know if you understand what I mean. It's like many segments of memories are mixed together, so I often feel lost when I'm reading. The "I" in the novel is a mother and a writer. Although we can sense her love for her children from her words and actions, the existence of two children undoubtedly hinders her writing. Just as mentioned in the book, she can only write when her daughter is napping, and her desk is filled with her children's things. This actually allows me to empathize with the pressure she faces as a mother. After finishing the novel, I feel that the past her and the present her as a mother are completely different. This may also be why she keeps mentioning the past; she probably misses her former self.

But perhaps the arrival of children has also given her a different kind of life. I don't know if you remember the mention in the novel about their house having "ghosts," which is actually a part I didn't quite understand. She also says her daughter can see ghosts, and her book is also about ghosts. Moreover, she mentions how she used to love going to the cemetery because no one would disturb her, which may be why she wrote a book about ghosts. I feel like she's constantly switching between the book and reality, maybe that's a trait writers possess. When they're about to write, they immerse themselves in some past memories, but this may also make them unable to distinguish between reality and memory. So the timeline of the whole book is also very confusing, making me unable to tell where the narrator is exactly in time, but perhaps she herself is also unsure...

Regarding the title of this book, I'd like to discuss it briefly as well. The Chinese title, "没有重量的人" (No Weight Person), should have the same meaning as the original title of the book. I think this might also be related to the "ghosts" mentioned in the novel. However, I don't quite understand the origin of the English title, "Faces in the Crowd." If any of you know, feel free to share in the comments.

Question: Do you think the "I" in the article is happier as a mother or before becoming a mother.

Comments

  1. Jon Beasley-MurrayApril 2, 2024 at 8:56 PM

    'I don't quite understand the origin of the English title, "Faces in the Crowd." If any of you know, feel free to share in the comments.'

    I mention this in the lecture... but see also page 14 of the book. It comes from the poem Ezra Pound writes, after seeing the vision of a dead friend on the New York subway.

    Meanwhile, you don't mention Gilberto Owen. After all, sometimes "The "I" in the novel is a mother and a writer," but sometimes the I is Owen, a Mexican poet. How does he relate to (is similar to or different from) the woman narrator you mention?

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