#94 Summer of ’38- Colm Toibin
Toibin is a contemporary Irish author. This is the first
piece by him that I’ve read.
Montse is a widow and mother of three daughters. Two are
from her recently deceased husband and the oldest child is from an affair she
had with a soldier during the Spanish Civil War.
This man whom she hasn’t seen since the affair, one of
Franco’s generals, has now resurfaced and wishes to see her. He is unaware of
the child (now a doctor living in Barcelona).
She remembers the summer of 1938 during the war and her youth. She
remembers having to marry Paco to hide her pregnancy, she remembers how good a
father he was. She decides not to revisit her past, and denies the chance to
see Rudolfo.
This story is about adaptability and loyalty. Montse is
aware of the need to make good of the challenges in life and overcome her own
mistakes. She will take care of her family and herself:
To her daughters: “She liked to sound firm and in control.
It saved her daughters from having to worry about her living on her own.”
To a stranger “She wished to give the impression that she
was old and living in her own world.”
I enjoyed this story, it had a nice gentle flow and clear
objective story telling.
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