Introducing
Salvador Plascencia's
The People of Paper.
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To preorder
The People of Paper,
click here.
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A Reader Review of
Salvador Plascencia's
The People of Paper.
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Editor's note: We were so excited about The People of Paper that we sent a few advance copies to loyal McSweeney's readers and asked them to tell us what they thought. We'll be sharing their impressions here over the next several days.
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Review 2.
BY AMIE NENNINGER
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I initially tried to define this book—why, this must be magic realism; it's a chance to exact revenge upon the Catholic Church; oh dear, a story about broken hearts!—but The People of Paper cannot be simplified. It unfolds in a land where mechanical tortoises and origami internal organs all have a time and place. The characters interact with the author as they suffer through plagues of moths, mold, and lead poisoning. They fight addictions to bees, burns, lovers, and grudges. Their day-to-day lives reek of piss, lime, rose petals, mint, salted plums, scorched milk, and burning tires. The story spans countries, eras, and genres, yet remains a shockingly accessible and engaging tale that brims with moments waiting to be unpacked.
This novel wrestles with aspects of colonialism and digs into those who lay claim to and exert ownership over stories, histories, and individuals. There are moments of revenge, when those with less control work with what they have. A living saint goes AWOL from the church, carnation pickers revolt, and a man-made woman leaves her lovers with scarred tongues. After a history of American commodification of many things Latin (have you been to Taco Bell?), Plascencia decides to co-opt Rita Hayworth herself and turns her into someone who was first loved by lettuce pickers in Jalisco.
The People of Paper is consumed with battles—sometimes for distance, sometimes to unify, and sometimes simply to occupy the time in between. But the entire book is engulfed in the war with omniscient narration. This physically plays out upon the pages; the layout of the text amplifies the struggles by the characters to dominate the story. It is unlike anything I've ever read before. Yes, I recognize elements from other styles of writing, but Salvador Plascencia has created something completely new.
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Salvador and other McSweeney's writers
will be touring soon. To look at the schedule,
click here.
MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE OF PAPER
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