Book Review: Daniel Alarcón’s “At Night We Walk in Circles”
By hola | Published | No Comments
“At Night We Walk in Circles,” a new novel by Daniel Alarcón, chronicles a short span in the life of a young man named Nelson. Our protagonist lives in the capital city of a South American country still reeling from civil war that raged when Nelson was a boy. Like his previous novel, “Lost City Radio,” Alarcón shows a fascination with the human condition in the aftermath of Latin American revolutionary struggle. This story mainly takes place during the time when most families had already recovered from the war.
Nelson joins a three-man touring acting troupe called Diciembre (December) and undergoes the trials and tribulations of a young man discovering himself. After his brother moves to the United States, he feels frustrated to have lost contact with him. Nelson is also caught in a rut in his a romantic relationship. While on tour with the acting troupe, Nelson eventually finds himself posing for several weeks as the son of an elderly woman with dementia. He couldn’t bear the thought of her realizing that her son had already moved out. However, this merciful act puts him in the crossfire of another storyline that threatens his life. During this journey, Nelson learns about love and loss, power, and family.
Known for his unique storytelling, Alarcón has a knack for making readers question what is really happening, as well as making the characters question reality themselves. Diciembre is performing a play called “The Idiot President.” Soon it too becomes intertwined in the story. Alarcón twists reality so that the real Nelson and his fellow actors begin to meld with their characters and the play itself.
A nameless narrator interviews everyone involved in this chapter of Nelson’s life. Using this unconventional method, Alarcón weaves together the novel. Though it is told from the first-person perspective, the narrator has all sides of the story—Nelson’s mother, his ex-lover and the other members of Diciembre. In fact, the narrator seems almost omniscient. Readers also learn the narrator’s personal story and how it intertwines with Nelson’s own, revealing why the narrator decided to write about Nelson in the first place.
Another great feat of “At Night We Walk in Circles” is the way the narrator—because of his all-knowing air—hints at the impending end to Nelson’s story. This tactic increases the reader’s interest in Nelson and his development. Alarcón teases readers with bits of information about what will happen next, before moving to the next subject, leaving readers wondering until later in the book. The readers are carried along in Nelson’s tumultuous coming-of-age story.
“At Night We Walk in Circles,” Daniel Alarcón. Riverhead Books, 2013.
Recommendation: ****
—Cathleen Alarcón
(no relation)
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