687. The Hour of the Star

The Hour of Star
Clarice Lispector
1977
Around 100 pages

Last time, Lispector told us a story about a woman who freaks out after seeing a cockroach. As somebody who recently moved to an apartment that hadn't been cleaned this century, this definitely hits different. It might actually be the map of my future. So I had a better time with this entry, which didn't so vividly remind me of my own life.

Our narrator Rodrigo addresses the reader directly (which is a rather old-fashioned approach that I love), and discusses the process of writing a story. The story he tells is about Macabea, an impoverished 19-year-old, living in Rio. She lives a pretty rough life, which is made worse when her boyfriend leaves her for her coworker.

So this was a fresh take on a fairly simple story, with a neat little twist at the end. Maybe not the most remarkable work in our canon, but I'll take a short, digestible novel any day. 

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Published shortly before Lispector's death.

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