Book Review :: Lo Que Está en Mi Corazón by Marcela Serrano

"Daughters of the Apocalypse"
Read in the Italian translation Quel che c’e’ nel mio cuore

In Marcela Serrano’s epic novel Lo Que Está en Mi Corazón, the stories of a distant land and a complex woman meet to create a timeless saga. The land is El Chiapas, a place of suffering that has endured the aggressions of early conquerors only to face the titanic ambitions of 20th century revolutionaries; the setting is the beautiful sanctuary of San Cristobál. The narrator, Camila, is a woman who avoided political involvement by choosing a volunteer exile, but now, after years spent in the States and a tumultuous past abroad, she decides to go back to her hometown to face her neglected origins.
The result is a powerful novel of contrast and balance that defies traditional classification as a love story, mystery or political thriller.

Politics, however, is the catalyst for many of the novel’s life-altering relationships and conflicts. The foundation of Camila’s very self is challenged by the arrival of Reina, an attractive activist and old friend of Camila’s mother from the days when they fought against Pinochet’s bloody dictatorship. Reina has come to San Cristobál to continue her revolution, and she settles with a heterogeneous collection of restless immigrants. Despite their diverse backgrounds, Reina’s companions share a remarkable force of purpose.

El Chiapas cradles Camila’s spirit as she endures a painful initiation toward a better understanding of herself. Her admiration for Reina wages war with her revulsion, as Camila tries to reconcile her feelings for the woman who so mirrors her own mother’s ideals. For example, she believes that the kind of revolution Reina advocates is not only senseless and destructive, but also anachronistic. However, memories of her strong mother will not let Camila escape from the guilt she feels over her decision to avoid politics in exchange for personal exile and a safe, ordinary life.

Above all, Serrano’s novel is a beautiful study of contrasts. As the narrator, Camila guides the reader through the colorful streets of San Cristobál, the magic power of which lies in its capacity to maintain its authenticity. She reveals marketplaces and urban dwellers with an anthropological flavor and fascination. Then, Serrano contrasts this peace with the rage and unpredictability of guerilla warfare, a potent shock to the reader. Contrast leads easily to conflict on multiple levels: natives and conquerors; revolutionaries and the military; mothers and daughters; the past and the present; memories and reality. The oppositions are at once ancestral, deeply internal, and intrusive into Camila’s existence.

The title, Lo Que Está en Mi Corazón, comes from the traditional phrase Mayan women used to conclude their tales. Camila, like a Mayan storyteller, relates her story through the communication of other narratives. In doing so, she develops a maturity that exists far from sensationalism and heroics. In Serrano’s gripping novel, insurrections, revolts, legends, and rituals merge at a point where its socio-political origins give way to a timeless myth of self-discovery.