3 out of 4 stars
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Everything that we know about our past is made of the stories that our families choose to tell us. That which is told over and over often becomes our truth, regardless of its basis in reality. This is one of the primary themes in The Ordinary Life by Mario Kiefer, and it is one that resurfaces poignantly throughout the story told within. It is a story of a Mexican-American family – a mother named Lucia, and two of her sons, Julian and Mateo.
We are introduced to Lucia through the stories of the generations that came before her, and learn of the difficult circumstances that shaped her life, just like they had shaped the life of her mother. Seeking to escape a life of poverty and back-breaking migrant field work, Lucia marries a white man with the mistaken belief that white men don’t abuse their wives. Unfortunately, she finds out she is wrong, and after her husband begins to abuse their two young sons, she leaves him and makes a life of her own.
As Lucia’s sons mature, each of them has his own take on the events of their early childhood. Julian and Mateo differ widely in their interpretation of the reasons behind their mother’s choices, and in the manifestation of their reactions to those choices. Each of them has strengths and weaknesses, and together as a family they face one crisis after another. Though at times they battle physical and emotional distance, the three of them never entirely lose touch. Through abuse, illness, addiction, job loss, and trauma, Julian and Mateo always have the powerful lessons imparted on them by their mother to help them survive and rebuild. This is a testimony to the power that family history has in laying the course of our lives, and a reminder that each of us has the ultimate responsibility to find our own way.
The introduction tells us that though this is a work of fiction, it is based on true events, and while reading this I got the distinct impression that little had been changed beyond the names of the individuals described. The story felt raw and personal, like I was reading the secrets of a family typically stored only in the pages of journals. Each event was linked with a location and the year (and sometimes month and day) that it occurred, and consequently much of the story read like a memoir, though for me this only increased its emotional impact. One of the most fascinating elements was how the book essentially retold the same story three times, through the eyes of Lucia, then Julian, and finally Mateo. But as we all experience the same events differently, and since we all carry different baggage with us, each of these accounts varied significantly. We were able to learn quite a bit about the personalities of each of the three of them simply by reading about their differing perspectives on the same situations, and by layering the three accounts over each other, we presumably get the most complete and nuanced version of reality available.
Though I really enjoyed this writing style, and the clever way these stories combined into a larger piece while standing well on their own, there were also a handful of issues within the pages. Throughout the text I noticed at least a dozen typos and grammatical errors, though they were spread out enough that they did not overly bother me as I was reading. I also enjoyed the romantic and lyrical style that the author used in the very beginning as he recounted the stories of the earlier generations, but I found that as the account neared the present day, the wording became more dry and factual. At times the author would slip into a political discussion mode, and go off on tangents about Mateo’s beliefs about current events and hot-button political issues. These sections seemed somewhat disjointed from the rest of the narrative, as they did not directly progress the plot. For these reasons, I rated this book 3 out of 4 stars, though I generally enjoyed the story very much.
The author included several sections of fascinating historical tidbits that were relevant to the decade or location being described, such as a brief history of Sicily (since Mateo and Julian’s great-grandfather was from there), and the history of Mexican migrant labor on American farmland. I enjoyed the way these informational bits enhanced the story told within that setting, and felt that the author included just the right amount of detail to pique the reader’s interest without bogging the story down with facts and dates.
This is not a book for sensitive readers, as there are several graphic (though still tastefully-written) accounts of domestic violence and sexual abuse. In addition, there is a fair amount of profanity, drug use, and sexual scenes, though again none of these are described in a gratuitous way. Generally, the author finds a good balance of including the raw and sometimes painful truth without making it too gritty. Readers who would enjoy this book include those who like stories of families that span multiple generations, or stories of hard-working people overcoming difficult circumstances and taking ownership of their lives. This is a memorable tale about complex but loveable people, dealing with the best and the worst of what humanity has to face.
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The Ordinary Life
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