The Rainforest
Alicia Steimberg, translated by Andrea Labinger,
University of Nebraska Press, 2006
AT TIMES intriguing, at times downright self-indulgent, The Rainforest builds on Alicia Steimberg’s reputation as one of Argentina’s foremost contemporary writers with deep reflections about mature love and the immature sense of danger it can provoke for a woman imbued with the notion that happiness depends upon the presence of a man in her life. The book follows the story of middle-aged Cecilia passing her time at an idyllic Brazilian spa resort trying to cope with – or forget – her past and reconnect with her muddled emotions. Cecilia’s thoughts constantly return to the death of her husband and the violent abuse she suffered at the hands of her drug-addicted son as she struggles to come to terms with the devotion of her new partner. The author of the award-winning Cuando digo Magdalena (Call Me Magdalena) skilfully explores the hunger for reassurance of the ageing woman who has endured psychological blows struggling to map a path through her emotions as dense and overgrown as the rainforest she finds solace in. Indeed, we can all identify with the daily struggles she endures and the daily triumphs she gains in overcoming them. – EC
