BOOK REVIEW THE RIVER’S GIFT Author: Ana Alonso | Ana Alonso From the reader report by: Sophie Hofnung Iwa is trying to hide the fact that she’s got her first period. This is because for the Wayuu, a people living along the border of Venezuela and Colombia, custom dictates that young girls are locked away without seeing any one or any daylight, alone, and only receiving instruction about becoming a woman. Iwa knows that she would not be able to bear this and decides to escape. El regalo del rio is a short, well-written tale that skilfully combines tradition and modernity by extoling critical thinking, the fight against injustice, emancipation and taking control of one’s destiny - notably for girls – while demonstrating profound cultural respect. The action is situated at the crossroads of two worlds that coexist without ever coming into conflict, the realism is tinged with mystery, the rational spirit is never condescending about ancestral beliefs and there is no demand to deny one’s identity or culture. The bridge that Kai and Iwa eventually build at the end of the novel, so that children can go to school without risking their lives, symbolises this link between cultures and opening up to new knowledge.
PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS FR
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