ARTS & POP CULTURE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022 tuftsdaily.com

We forgot ‘The sound of Things Falling’

by Andrés F. Arévalo

Contributing Writer

“Hay un ruido que no logro, que nunca he logrado identificar: un ruido que no es humano o es más que humano.” (“There is a noise that I cannot, that I have never been able to identify: a noise that is neither human nor more than human.”)

In his most renowned book, Juan Gabriel Vásquez wastes no time to probe the readers’ mind. Like many of his other titles, “The Sound of Things Falling” (2011) takes a very common verb and uses it in a nothing but confusing manner to preface Vásquez’s work. The reader may know the sounds of many things, but what could the sound of things falling be?

Vásquez is a Latin American writer, journalist and translator, from Bogotá, Colombia. Although he has spent most of his professional writing years abroad, his pieces aim to narrate and feature the realities of the Colombian and Latino peoples, just like his predecessors from the “Boom” — a movement in the 1960s and 1970s when Latin American literature became greatly popularized worldwide. Mostly recognized for his contemporary imagery and superb representation of human interactions, Vásquez has earned his place into the Latin American canon, as well as being considered one of the most influential active Latin American writers.

“The Sound of Things Falling” could be deemed as Vásquez’s ode to the city that birthed him: Colombia’s capital, Bogotá. Using Bogotá as an essential character, instead of a setting, this piece presents a short memoir of Antonio Yammara. Antonio, as the narrator, remembers the worst portion of his life by focusing on telling the story of another man, Ricardo Laverde. Antonio meets Ricardo, a mysterious ex-convict and retired pilot, playing pool. Although their relationship revolves fully around playing pool, one day, Antonio helps Ricardo find a tape-player in the city. When they walk out, Ricardo is shot to death, and Antonio catches a bullet in the crossfire.

As Antonio falls deep into depression and experiences PTSD, his daughter is born. He decides he will find out who Ricardo Laverde was and what got him killed. As he probes deeper, he finds the tape Ricardo listened to right before his murder. Finally, Maya, Ricardo’s daughter, reaches out to him. Together, they piece together her father’s life, while also uncovering themselves and the impact that living in Bogotá and being Colombians had on them.

The plot of “The Sound of Things Falling” is not intricate. Vásquez was able to create a humane prose — one that mirrors real people — by choosing a simple story and focusing on excelling the manner it is portrayed.

One must first note the use of the setting, Bogotá. The book has a beautiful description of the capital of Colombia, naming and showing to the reader many of the landmarks of the city, like La Candelaria, El Centro, la Casa de Poesía Silva and more. Nonetheless, Bogotá goes further than just being detailed imagery, it becomes an actor in the story. The violence, the fear, the weather and the characteristics of the city, all have influence over the characters and the actions. One of the characters even specifies that all raised in Bogotá during the ‘80s had some sort of connection — a mark — created by all the events they had to live through: the terrorism from the drug cartels, the corruption of the governments the murders of social leaders. Turning on the TV only showed more terrible news. By using Bogotá as an actor, Vásquez vividly depicts a reality of the Columbian people: deeply engraved in trauma created by the atrocious conditions and events of their homes.

Vásquez’s depiction of trauma in this piece is sublime. Not only the trauma mentioned above, but also through exploring the feelings and thoughts of the narrator. Similar to accounts of wounded-in-battle soldiers, the reader gets a peek of what an injury of that magnitude can cause to a human being. Additionally, Vásquez breaks a mental-illness stigma for Latino men by openly talking about PTSD and demonstrating how it sends Antonio into a downward spiral — developing fear towards his own home, madness, sexual impotence and more.

The beauty of how “The Sound of Things Falling” portrays trauma also lies in the lightness the narrator keeps while still depicting all these atrocious events. At its core, the narrator represents what life is in South America: the ability to take traumatic events lightly to keep going. To perform the latter, the reader follows a very conversationalist narrator, which is a contemporary trait. Vásquez mimics real life conversations by using simple language, slang and curse words. He can almost seamlessly change perspectives, delve into fully different accounts and jump between storylines. One more aspect of Vásquez’s light narration worth noting is his use of irony and comedy, which aids the “swallowing” of strong events. An example can be seen after Antonio’s wife gives birth, and she exclaims, “I think the glove really did belong to O.J. Simpson.”

The contemporary-style narrator from Vásquez breaks the long-standing notion that Colombia’s, and Latin America’s, suffering and problems are a matter of the past. The world can only remember Pablo Escobar, but now that he’s dead, what about all those who come after? Although the country has changed for the better, what about the generations that had to live through all that pain and suffering? That is exactly what the book tries to hint at. By using a contemporary setting and style as well as a superb depiction of trauma, Vásquez reaffirms that the troubles of the Colombian people are not gone; they linger far beyond, but the world has forgotten about them.

So, what is the sound of things falling?

In his search for the story of Ricardo Laverde, Antonio finds the tape he listened to right before he was murdered. The tape was the ‘black-box’ recording of the plane crash that Ricardo’s wife died on. As he listens to it, he details what he hears: a “more than human sound … a sound that never finished.” Antonio, and thus Vásquez, insinuate that the sound of things falling is that never ending desire for more information, for the ultimate truth; that’s why he never stops searching for who Ricardo Laverde was. When Antonio listens to the tape, he opens Pandora’s box; he becomes submerged in the infinite search of the truth, in the infinite sound of things falling. And that’s what Vásquez does with this book, he searches for the truth: the truth of the Colombian people, the truth of what Bogotá did to him. That intimate passageway between the story and its author is what has given his work much reputation, even landing him the prestigious Spanish Literature award “El Premio Alfaguara de Novela” (The Alfaguara Novel Prize).

Why, when “The Sound of Things Falling” has won this award as well as the PEN and Impac Dublin awards, isn’t it more widely known? If it was extensively praised in The New York Times, why isn’t it sold in more bookstores?

It seems as if the public has forgotten about the search for the truth — about the sound of things falling.

Juan Gabriel Vásquez (left) and the cover of his novel “The Sound of Things Falling” (2011) (right) are pictured.

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

declan McKenna lights up The sinclair on ‘Zeros’ Tour

by Tessa Moore

Contributing Writer

“They say you play this venue twice in your life: once on the way up and once on the way down. Well, it’s good to be back,” Declan McKenna quipped at the start of his set at The Sinclair on Oct. 11. The joke was clear to the audience as McKenna’s career has only been on the rise, and this show made it obvious why.

Annie DiRusso opened for McKenna, and although most of the audience didn’t seem to know her songs, its members matched her vibrant energy. DiRusso’s lyrics were relatable and her guitar lines were head-banging, both of which she delivered passionately. Her set would inspire any first-time listener to add her music to their playlists. Several quirky elements made the performance even more fun: the matching outfits that she and her band sported, the trampoline on the stage that her guitarist occasionally jumped on and the synchronized choreography that all of the musicians executed during her final song.

McKenna’s set kicked off with a recorded cover of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help from My Friends” (1967) that played before McKenna even stepped onto the stage, a bit of a surprise to fans who had already stalked the setlist online. However, this choice was certainly in line with the inspiration that McKenna openly takes from pop-rock icons, especially those of the ‘70s. This influence is clear in “Zeros” (2020), the album he is touring, as well as his fashion choices, which for this show included glittery eyeshadow and a Bowie-esque outfit.

McKenna’s first song was “Beautiful Faces,” which immediately engaged the audience as the lyrics encouraged them to “lift your hands up!” He performed the entire tracklist of “Zeros,” which was interspersed with most of the songs from his debut album, “What Do You Think About the Car?” (2017), as well as his most recent single, “My House.” Standouts were “Make Me Your Queen,” a stripped-down version making the emotion in the song palpable, and the opening track of “Zeros,” “You Better Believe!!!” which perfectly encompassed McKenna’s adeptness at shifting between catchy, energetic riffs and esoteric lyrics.

The small and intimate size of The Sinclair was the perfect setting for McKenna. He consistently engaged with fans throughout the show and humorously recounted his previous experience at the venue years earlier when he climbed up onto the balcony and was scolded by a security guard. Sadly, he did not do the same at this show. He also responded to fans showing him images on their phones and accepted a bouquet of flowers from an attendee in the front row. He didn’t hesitate to let his personality shine through between and during songs.

The most notable aspect of McKenna’s performance was the emotion that he injected into every song, which could be heard in his voice, and seen in his facial expressions and passionate body language. Whether it was a vulnerable expression of insecurity like “Humongous’” or an apocalyptic banger like “Rapture,” the audience responded directly to his energy. McKenna hopped onto the piano for “Be an Astronaut,” which featured his guitarist Isabel Torres on a beautiful solo in the middle of the song. Throughout the set, McKenna showed his chops in all aspects of musical performance, from vocals to guitar to piano, and even the tambourine.

He left the stage briefly and came back for an encore that consisted of “Daniel, You’re Still a Child,” “Why Do You Feel So Down,” “Eventually, Darling,” his viral hit “Brazil” and the highlight of the set, protest rock anthem “British Bombs.” It was for this last number that McKenna grabbed a guitar plastered with the U.K. flag, which he then seemingly symbolically threw to the ground before launching into the epic buildup of the song’s bridge and final chorus.

Something that stands out in McKenna’s music is his extensive reference to social, political and often existential themes. This closing performance, as well as many of his other songs, clearly channeled his political frustrations. There is no doubt that his overwhelmingly young audience not only identifies with this feeling, but also appreciates the extremely danceable melodies and guitar lines that McKenna so expertly wraps his scathing political commentary into. A Declan McKenna concert is a space where you can sing and shout along with him about issues from climate change to corruption, and have a grand old time doing it. It is a truly unique and cathartic experience.

Declan McKenna performed at The Sinclair on Oct. 11.

TESSA MOORE / THE TUFTS DAILY

Layla Noor Landrum

The Book Nook ‘Six Times We Almost Kissed’ explores romance and trauma

Tess Sharpe’s “Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did)” (2023) is a poignant and expertly-plotted young adult contemporary romance novel releasing next year from publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Penny and Tate aren’t friends. Penny is anxious and hyper-organized whereas Tate is a quiet, competitive swimmer who can be found swimming laps in the pool. But because their mothers are best friends, their lives have always been intertwined even though they’ve never wanted them to be. And when medical circumstances force the two girls to live together, they’ll be forced to confront everything they’ve been running from — including their pasts, their traumas and the times they’ve almost kissed.

Inspired by the “5+1” structure popular in fanfiction, Sharpe crafts an unforgettable sapphic romance novel full of angst and heart. Told through both girls’ perspectives of the present and six moments of almost kisses from their pasts, the novel unfolds in wholly unexpected ways and allows for the reader’s understanding of their character to slowly build over time. Penny and Tate are equally compelling characters with their own unique voices, traumas and hopes. And while “Six Times” is a slowburn, sapphic romance, it’s equal parts a thoughtful exploration of trauma and what it’s like to be forced to grow up too fast as a result of it. From the longterm illness Tate’s mother faces to the sudden death of Penny’s father which her mother is unable to cope with, both protagonists have had their lives defined by forces out of their control that they’ve unfairly had to grapple with. Alongside the two girls accepting their feelings for one another, they also embark on a journey of healing. Their romantic arcs and character arcs intertwine and conclude in satisfying ways, showing readers that the process of healing and pursuing relationships, both platonic and romantic, may be messy — but is ultimately worth it. For all the grief and sadness in the pages of this book, there’s an equal amount of hope.

And there’s only one bed scene, which is equally important to note.

“Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did)” is the perfect read for anyone in need of proof that happy endings exist for people like them or for anyone who prefers romance novels that explore heavier themes. The novel is available for pre-order now.