Cellophane

by Marie Arana

Book Overview

Don Victor Sobrevilla, a lovable, eccentric engineer, always dreamed of founding a paper factory in the heart of the Peruvian rain forest, and at the opening of this miraculous novel his dream has come true--until he discovers the recipe for cellophane. In a life already filled with signs and portents, the family dog suddenly begins to cough strangely. A wild little boy turns azurite blue. All at once Don Victor is overwhelmed by memories of his erotic...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385336659
• ISBN13: 9780385336659
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.2" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A great story written exceptionally well

Drop the Latin America labels and stereotypes. Just enjoy the book. This is a great story in a unique setting. It is a tale with twists and turns, love, fate, intrigue, sex and fantasy woven into a fascinating book that I found hard to put down. Marie Arana's mastery of the English language is superb, her prose clear and the imagery outstanding. I can't wait to read her next book.

"He longed to stand in a place untouched by man...and, despite all adversity, raise leviathans out o

As a boy in Trujillo, Peru, Victor Sobrevilla Paniagua receives his fortune from a monkey in the plaza. "Beware! There are those who think you a dreamer," the scrap of paper warns. "Pay them no mind. They would have you doubt your goals." The paper further advises Victor to pray to the Virgin of Copacabana for protection against the day when he will face unexpected disaster. Victor eventually builds a paper factory in the rain forest of eastern Peru, finds the statue of the Virgin of Copacabana, and brings it to his jungle home, Floralinda. All is well with his world--until 1952, when he discovers, amid dark portents, how to make cellophane--thereby precipitating the dire events predicted in the second half of his childhood fortune. The action which follows is divided into three "plagues." A "plague of truth" follows the discovery of cellophane, as each character in Floralinda, including the priest, confesses his/her romantic indiscretions. A "plague of hearts" follows, with each person pursuing new love or rekindling old love. Ultimately, a "plague of revolution" occurs, as government soldiers invade Floralinda, and local workers blame Don Victor and his cellophane for these troubles and the bloody battles which result. Rich and atmospheric, Cellophane is a consummately "Latin American" novel in the tradition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, though there is less "magical realism" here. Examining the lives, past and present, of Don Victor, his wife, their children, spouses, lovers, and servants, Arana creates vibrant portraits showing the contrasts between those who leave the city for life in the jungle, and those who have lived there all their lives. The Catholicism of "civilized" city life contrasts with the vibrant spirit world of the native inhabitants, and the tension between reality and spirit infuses the action. Considered a "shape-changer," Don Victor practices the local religion, regularly visits a curandero (healer), ingests hallucinogens for purification, and has a "spirit creature"-- the huge Andean condor. Other characters, some of them devout Catholics, show "the interconnectedness of all things" by accepting treatment from the curandero, treasuring magical talismans, believing prophetic dreams, and, deep in the jungle, making unexpected discoveries about themselves, the spirit world, and the unity of life. Expansive in scope and theme but magnificently controlled in execution, Cellophane is thoroughly entertaining, filled with humor and irony. Within her warm humor, Arana examines themes of creativity and spirit, love and responsibility, society vs. solitude, liberty vs. autocracy, and the conflict between new and old ways. Swirling from present to past and back, as background and action combine, Arana develops engaging characters and the fully drawn community of Floralinda, creating a novel lovers of literary fiction will celebrate. n Mary Whipple

A rare first novel

It is a rare first novel that can or should be mentioned in the same breath as those of the South American master Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but "Cellophane" is such a one. Its Peruvian American author, Marie Arana , deftly transports us to an enchanted world deep in the Peruvian rainforest that fleetingly calls to mind Marquez' Macondo, but moves on to weave its own special magic. "Cellophane" is the story of Don Victor Sobrevilla Paniagua, an engineer and dreamer who moves his young family from a comfortable existence in the coastal city of Trujillo to satisfy his passion---to build a paper factory deep in the jungle and be master of his own fate and all who live and work around him. There on the Ucayali River he builds his own small kingdom: A grand hacienda, Floralinda, huts for worker families, and his factory. Then, in a trance induced by an Indian curandero-shaman, he conjures a radical new product, cellophane. He is seized by a passion to build a cellophane empire---and he and all around him are subsequently seized by more passion---a plague of truth-telling that leads to hilarious, shocking and, in the end, violent results. Along the way, Arana , in a very quick 367 pages, treats Indian sorcery, racism, classism, Latin America's fondness for caudillos and more. And she creates a series of unforgettable characters, particularly her women, any one of whom could be another magical novel. Arana is book editor at the Washington Post and a veteran of the publishing world. In 2002, her "American Chica" memoir tracing her family life in Peru and North America was a National Book Award finalist. Last year, she edited a book on "The Writing Life," in which she profiled and interviewed a series of contemporary writers on their sources and techniques. Clearly, she has paid her dues, and she draws eloquently, effectively and imaginatively both from her childhood in Peru and her time at the editor's desk. The result is an assured and masterful debut novel in which she juggles a colorful cast of characters and several plot lines with seamless skill.. Those who have read her memoir will see some family members and childhood experiences revisited and reflected in her novel, and it is fascinating and instructive to see how she has made compelling fiction from her life. Those who have not read them both: Lucky you, you have great discoveries waiting.