Rain Over Madrid

Hello Gentle Reader

It was thanks to “Three Percent Review,” and their comprehensive translation database, where new translated books that are appearing in English in that corresponding year are listed and documented; that I had discovered Andrés Barba, and his collection of four novella’s that comprise the book “Rain Over Madrid.” I’ve always loved the novella as a literary form; it has the conciseness of the short story; but the length of a short novel. However the novella is not entirely segregated into some literary ghetto based on the judgment of length. Where short stories, balance between poetry and prose at times; the novella must dance between the lines of being referred to as a short story – more specifically a long short story; or that of a want to be novel – more concisely an underdeveloped novel. Novella’s at times are mistakenly referred to as practice literary forms – like the short story; they are considered one of those unfortunate stepping stones, in which novice writers are to experiment with and develop in preparation of their: ‘great novel.’ However, in my experience many short stories and novellas have surpassed their counterparts; which have a tendency to become over wrought, and have filled the medium with a bombardment of information and or useless facts, that at one point intrigues the reader, but slowly make the pages become a mountain of tedious words, in which the reader must climb in order to (hopefully) reach some resolution, or revelation. Slim in literary forms does not mean, ambiguous or obscure – nor does it mean minimalist. It is true however, that most slim literary genres do insinuate, and implicate information, without directly stating it; and their works become snap shots almost – but the lengths have proven to be deceptive in their ability to deal with the concept of passage of time – back and forth again – or forward and onwards; the form has proven it has the ability to play with the concept of time and memory, that was once reserved for only novels. If the novella or short story is to teach their gluttonous and esteemed cousin a lesson in literary quality it would be: sometimes less is more.

Andrés Barba has been hailed as one of the greatest young Spanish writers, emerging in Spain today. Though the literary power and market for Spanish literature has shifted away from the Spanish epicenter of the European country, to its former colonies in South America; Spain is still known for producing some great writers – among them the contemporaries Javier Marias and Enrique Vila-Matas – both considered Nobel laureate contenders in Literature. Andrés Barba is a rising star in Spanish literature. At the age of only thirty five years old, Barba has produced a steady portfolio, of literary works which includes novels, short stories, children’s books, and a book of essays. Barba is also known for his photographic endeavors. To boot this jack of all trades writer he is also a journalist. Recently (and by that I mean two-thousand and ten) Andrés Barba had been named one of Granta’s best young writers in the Spanish language.

In “Rain Over Madrid,” Andrés Barba deals with relationships and the complexities and dynamics of each relationship, that as human beings we form with our fellow human beings. They are maternal relationships; sexual relationships; romantic relationships, and sibling relationships. Each one has its own set code of conduct, in some unwritten book, which details the actions and appropriate way to hold oneself in such circumstances. For Barba’s characters however, relationships become both a longing desire and an eventual prison. Yet his characters are introverted and in a sense alone or drifting in the world, seek out the warmth of another human being, and the desire for human contact; and at times are repulsed by the sudden jolt or burn that they acquire from having finally obtained that connection. Barba’s style is casual, cool and calm. His prose is laconic to a degree, with moments that strike the reader, as a fine tuned sentence. Yet for the most part, Barba tosses aside overt verbose language and pomposity, to ensure his work is welcoming for readers, but also rewarding.

The novellas of “Rain Over Madrid,” take on an almost seasonal change with each new novella. The first novella “Fatherhood,” has the appearance of being racked in the green light of spring; and the drifting white orbs of pollen, that dance in the sunlight of the street. The story itself concerns a semi-successful musician, and his eventual impregnation of a young woman. Who turns out to come from a very wealthy family. The story focuses on the new fathers attempt at breaking past the barriers set up by the mother of their child, and to form some kind of connection with his estranged young son. Early on, there are obvious traces and insulations that the main character – the father; suffers a difficult and complicated relationship with his, own mother, which stems from her own attempt to reach a social standing or wealthy status, by exploiting him as a child in advertisement for television. Could this explain the characters views of sex being simple sexual conquest – an almost symbolic revenge upon his own mother; an exertion if one were to be so bold; of control over another being simply through the sexual act, and emotional devastation, of any sexual relationship to be purely meaningless and physical. The act itself is rendered to mere capitulation of another human being to whims of another, simply by physical attraction, devoid of any romantic interest – and if any are there, they are quickly abandoned for the abrupt realities. When the tables are soon turned, it becomes fascinating that the father is unable to deal with the loss of his own control; and that when his son his born, his attempts at bonding come under strict regulations and procedures dictated by politeness. The situation is not in his control. He must play by the rules of another; in a game where sex is no longer the sole tool for conquest.

The same formula is used in the novella ‘Fidelity,” which is brimming to the pages ends, with sexual depictions. Sex here is rendered down to mechanical copulation; where Marina is able to use it as both a tool of primal pleasure – something which has been hardwired into her instinctually; but also as a cruel game of control to the point where sex is both release of frustrations and rage; but also an act that deviates on voyeuristic perversion – as if a willingness to be caught in the act that is both natural, and yet somehow shameful. What changes for Marina is catching her father, with another woman; and her own realization, that much like her own secret sex life – or rather her budding one; her father has fallen into his own instinctually hardwired primal urges, and seeks his own releases via other alternatives. Her summer gets a fresh sour reality, realizing that her father partakes in the same cardinal activity that she does. Where hers comes into being a form of rebellion; an act of aggression against her own established order, she becomes complacent in her own fathers fidelity, by not speaking of the matter, but comes to understand the tension between both her mother and her father; and even showcase empathy for the girl that her father abruptly shatters with his end of the affair.

“Guile,” and “Shopping,” details two women and their complicated relationships with their mothers. The first novella “Guile,” shows how the unpopular daughter, takes the time, to assist her ailing mother in finding once again a new live in caregiver. A task which has fallen into routine, with acerbic remarks made; vitriolic observations being duly noted, and sarcastic accusations thrown about. This novella shows how convenient obligations becomes, a breeding ground for resentment, bitterness and general malaise and misery. Yet their comes hope in the form of a young caretaker from Colombia and her own uprooted life, becomes the breath of fresh air in a room stale with old age, and words that have been used as weapons. This new young and exotic caregiver becomes part of the daily humdrum and routine but also offers that much needed human contact – a foreign kind of human connection for the character of this novella. The caregiver become a buffer between mother and daughter, and offers a distance between the two physically, despite the chasm that has grown between the two over the years. The sentence “You never really new me,” lingers still in my mind – an accusation that is filled with criticism that does not cut the skin; but rather sinks and festers deep inside; like a cherry pit in the earth, trying to sprout.

As the seasons change, the season of winter arrives on Madrid, and so ends the collection with the novella “Shopping.”

“Shopping,” once again showcases the complicated relationship between mother and daughter, in a different light. This time the main character is left in the shadow of her mother, and the devastation in which her air of luxury, vanity, and selfishness has sowed throughout her life, and which Nelly; the mother, is all but completely oblivious too. If one were to bring the magnificent Nelly to task, on the destruction left in her wake, she would flip the accusation on to the prosecutor and skirt the fact, that she had anything to do with the shattered remains which trail behind her. The character does her best to become comfortable in her own body, but the prospect of meeting Nelly always once again shatters her own self-confidence, and her own comfort within her own skin. Yet the cracks of Nelly’s superficiality are quickly noted in the banal moment of Nelly buying a dress. This simple transaction becomes a moment of tension, between tyrannical mother who demands and expects praise; and the emotionally stunted daughter who feels obligated to offer praise. A simple dress, which in Nelly’s eyes becomes desire – and the realities contradict this desire; showcases her own selfishness. In the act that she buys the dress knowing full well that she won’t wear it. This frustration becomes a point of contention for Nelly who will not listen to the praise and demands her daughter wait outside for her. In this sense Nelly truly is natural in the cacophonous ways of a typhoon. When the two women, witness the apprehension of a shoplifter by a retail clerk, an empathetic connection is formed between the character and the perpetrator of the act of stealing. The prosecution she witnesses and the attempt at fleeing, mimic her own relationship with her own mother: a mixture of masochistic adoration, and attempts at flawed rebellion.

“She is thirty years old and she’s done nothing with her life—study business, spend two years living in Paris, take care of Papá, adore Nelly, spurn Nelly, try to live as though Nelly didn’t exist, forget about her, even. The secrets, frustrations, and accomplishments of a poor little rich girl, a spoiled child.”

Andrés Barba’s collection of novellas, are existential and showcase the complexities of human relationships. Barba’s characters are alienated and troubled by memories, by tyrannical relationships, by secrets and knowledge. Repression and guilt run through these novellas, as the motifs that keep the characters stuck in their limbo. They are haunted, they are stunned, they are in able to communicate, and break the boundaries that separate them. Barba’s writing style in these novellas is calm, collective and easy for most readers to become rather acquainted with. The day to day living becomes a crisis of the soul and the mind. Daily transactions become existential catastrophes. Yet the novella shows how the characters, come to comprehend or at least recognize and be aware of the lives of others; no matter how unconnected or different from another, there is to a degree an understanding that everyone is equally as aimless and confused about how to live or what is life – some just know how to bluff by better.

Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader
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M. Mary