Ariel Dorfman

Originally published: London: Nick Hearn Books, 1991.

Death and the Maiden

Caroline Mao

Read for my lit class.

It was really very enjoyable, and there were a ton of "you go, Paulina!" and "gasp-oh-my-God-that-twist" moments, which were good. I actually read the whole book in one day because even though I was assigned to only read the first two scenes that first day, I was pulled in by this ominous sense of foreboding and then scene three happened and I was like, damn, shit just got real, and I had to keep reading. I couldn't put it down.

I really adore Paulina especially. She's a trauma survivor who constantly has to sacrifice herself, repress her own pain, for the sake of others, and that's something that speaks to me. She might be painted as irrational and self-absorbed to some readers, but the way she read to me was so touching and relatable and absolutely, painfully human. Sometimes, you just get tired of being the one who has to push away your feelings for the greater good while the one who hurt you gets off scot-free, and yeah, okay, you want to start screaming, "What about me? What about what I need?" and that is normal and human and justified, even if it isn't the Good Person TM thing to do.

Also, the plot was just good. The characters were well written and the ambiguity is so interesting to contemplate and just, wow. Good stuff.

Death and the Maiden

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