Música de ópera by Soledad Puértolas

Abstract

Reviewed by: Música de ópera by Soledad Puértolas Joanne Lucena Puértolas, Soledad. Música de ópera. Anagrama, 2019. Pp. 274. ISBN 978-8-43399-870-5. In her latest novel, Musica de ópera (2019), Soledad Puértolas continues to impact readers with her development of the psychological nuances of each character, particularly women, a technique she utilizes in her prior novels, Queda la noche, Una vida inesperada, La señora Berg, Historia de un abrigo, Cielo nocturno, and Mi amor en vano, amongst others. Her collections of short stories, such as Compañeras de viaje, to name one, include some of the Zaragozan author’s favorite themes also highlighted in her novels, the journey (both interior and exterior), memory, identity, loneliness, nostalgia and female friendships. In Música de ópera Puértolas employs the historical backgrounds of pre–Civil War Spain, the Spanish Civil War, the end of World War II, Dwight Eisenhower’s visit to Spain in 1959, the Russian takeover of Prague in 1968, and the legalization of divorce in Spain in 1981, to provide a backdrop to which the characters in an extended family react in the novel. Nevertheless, the event and the actions surrounding them are less important, rather it is Puértolas’ focus on character analysis that is at the heart of the text. It is of note that the author presents history as a framework for her characters’ reactions, there is no judgement nor subjectivity, even when describing the Spanish Civil War which is very much a divisive topic in contemporary Spain. Musica de ópera narrates the lives of a wealthy family beginning with the matriarch, Elvira Ibáñez, a widow who has no concept of organizing the accounts and bills that she has inherited from her departed husband. Elvira is not a practical person, deferring first to her husband, and then her accountant, Antonio Perelada, for any questions regarding finances, except in the matter of her outrageous spending. Her trajectory reflects one of many upper class women of her epoch, [End Page 445] one that underlines adhering to the patriarchal system and traditional role models. Even when she travels abroad, she does so in company of a friend and then later her “niece” Victoria (in reality, her husband’s cousin’s daughter) as women of her social standing were apt to do. Elvira’s sons, Justo and Alejo, both supported the Nationalist troops in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and although they suffered somewhat, the war had no effect on their social standing. In fact, Elvira doesn’t really dwell on the war because her life has not radically changed and she continues to frequent concerts and luncheons with her friends. This is a direct contrast with the scenes depicted in the kitchen where all of the female staff have a relative fighting in the trenches on the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War and whose lives are tragically affected. Elvira, as a person of wealth and privilege, has the luxury of focusing on frivolities and when she turns 50 it is time for her to focus on peace, silence, and her retirement from the world. The only thing that saves this character from absolute vapidity are the letters that she transcribes every night to the accountant addressed to her favorite childhood friend, Dorotea, who died years ago. The letters reflect her fear of having failed as a mother and other such internal torments that provide the reader with a sense that Elvira is not as dull as she was originally portrayed, and it is her social class that has relegated her to this position. It is these letters, representing Puértolas’s theme of nostalgia, that link the three different generations of women, Elvira, Valentina and Alba, the latter two being the custodians of Elvira’s memories. The second half of the novel centers on the narratives of the aforementioned characters, Valentina and Alba, Alejo’s daughter and Elvira’s granddaughter. Valentina, who although she first accompanied her traditional aunt on her travels, revels in her solo travel and independence and losing her virginity in a one-night stand. Her character’s development is more salient than...