Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Orginal Publication Date
1995
Journal Title
Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Volume
15
Issue
ess/vol15/iss1
First Page
41
Last Page
43
Abstract
Published within the same year, Dark Plums and Longing both delve into the darker side of the human psyche. Similar in topic, the novels explore the complex relationship between love, sexuality, and power. While Dark Plums gives its readers a voyeuristic look into the life of Adrianne, a young, insecure Chilean-American woman who seeks to find herself through various sexual encounters with men and women, Longing leads them through the painful psychological recovery of American Jew Rosa and the simultaneous mental breakdown of her Chilean husband, Antonio. in addition, each novel focuses around the female protagonists' struggle for inner strength and confidence. Although Dark Plums and Longing pursue provocative issues and display Maria Espinosa's flair for capturing the psychological effects of the erotic, the story lines and language in both novels lack originality and ultimately fail in sustaining the reader's interest.
Rights
Copyright, ©EES, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 1995