Silvina Ocampo

Delicately crafted, intensely visual, deeply personal stories explore the nature of memory, family ties, and the difficult imbalances of love.

Forgotten Journey

John Balek

After reading The Promise last summer I decided to return to Silvina Ocampo's work for a second time. I wish I had started with Forgotten Journey as I enjoyed it much more than The Promise. Forgotten Journey is Ocampo's debut and a great introduction to her work, as well as a great work of literature. I am not usually a fan of short books or short stories but this book, along with Baldwin's Go to Meet The Man which I read earlier this month, may have changed my opinion on the subject. 

Forgotten Journey is a collection of 28 short stories that never extend beyond ten pages. With these stories being so short you would think they would be rather insignificant or minimal. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Even with the short run of these stories, Ocampo is able to craft explorative worlds and compelling narratives. Every word holds immense weight and is essential to the story. The minimalist writing offers more than many full length novels I've read. I was consistently intrigued by these stories and I'm sure I missed many of the concepts on this first read through.

The first story, Skylight, is a great opener and gives a great statement for what you are about to read in the coming stories. I won't spoil it here but Ocampo balances beauty and intrigue with darkness and horror. She perfectly crafts a story that leads you to believe it is going in one direction and takes it in another. This happens throughout the book but never feels like it is redundant. Especially for a book published in 1937, Forgotten Journey feels like it is well ahead of its time while still feeling timeless today.

Ocampo explores themes of anxiousness, paranoia, and distrust as well as the temporary nature of love, life, and memory. While some story's characters or settings may feel similar at times I think it lends to portraying these overall themes. With the stories, and book itself, being so short this repetition lends to remind the reader of what this collection is about. 

As someone who isn't the biggest fan of poetry I found this to be the medium that truly resonates with me when it comes to portraying emotions and narratives in a short form. I'm much more drawn into these more descriptive efforts that offer more to react to. I haven't really read any books like this, which has definitely influenced my interest and enjoyment in this book.

Even if you don't catch all of the details of a story Ocampo's emotion is still easy to grasp. It is almost like listening to a song for the first time. You might not get all of the lyrics on the first listen but you can grasp the emotion and marvel at the talent and skill being portrayed. 

This is the perfect morning coffee book. You can read a few stories and go about your day reflecting on what they mean. I actually started rereading the book directly after finishing it; something I've never done.

I'm still amazed by what Ocampo has done with this book. It is a great debut that only has me excited to read more from her.

Forgotten Journey

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