Bolaño's Amulet

 "This is going to be a horror story. A story of murder, detection and horror. But it won't appear to be, for the simple reason that I am the teller."

Bolaño's Amulet is a powerful read, to say the least. The introduction (as quoted above) is poignant enough to captivate a reader and make them ponder about perspective. Personally, those lines developed a stream of consciousness in my mind that began to wonder about how war and revolution always have multiple sides to them, whether it may be the perspective of a civilian, an activist, a politician, or a child. 

Auxilio Lacouture played more than one role in her life - she was a poet and a mother to many. Moreover, she symbolically resisted the army's invasion of her university by hiding in the bathroom for around two weeks. As she began to recount her story, the introduction of the book became clearer than ever. I forgot about her situation and the horrors that she would have experienced. This was kind of unsettling to realize but also interesting because the narrator's intended purpose was achieved. 

I suppose that this was somewhat unsettling for me to read, especially because I could not get a proper idea of Auxilio at the moment. She came across as a very powerful personality who knew what she needed to do in any situation. This was exemplified by the distraction that she provided herself with for the two weeks she spent in hiding. 

Additionally, I believe that the lecture helped provide a new understanding of the setting of the book. The intersection of identities (cultural and otherwise) expresses how the consequences of revolutions extend beyond just the locals of a country. Moreover, one of the points mentioned in the lecture really stood out to me - how this novel by the author is a clear break from the magical realism that Latin America is usually associated with. 

Overall, I found Amulet to be an introspective read. I enjoyed the unique setting that it was placed in. Lastly, my question for the class would be: did you think that the narrations of Auxilio's past served as a powerful distraction from the events in the book? How do you think this experience would have impacted her (physically and emotionally)?