Imagining Argentina

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Summary: "Imagining Argentina": A Book of Passion, Heart and Spirit
Review: A brilliant and inspiring novel, Lawrence Thornton's "Imagining Argentina" effectively portrays the turmoil and struggle in Argentina in the 1970's as people were taken from their loved ones by corrupt government officials and became members of "the disappeared". Using exceptional and eloquent writing techniques, Thornton is able to portray a story of love, imagination, despair and most provocatively, faith. Perhaps the most impressive thing about this novel, is its ability to establish a relationship between the reader and the protagonist, Carlos Rueda. So deeply intriguing and stimulating is this central character, that the reader cannot help but communicate with him, by sympathizing the losses of his wife and daughter, understanding his desperation and desperation and inhaling his words of wisdom and bold faith in humanity. The story emphasizes on the theme of faith and the power of the human spirit. Carlos' unbreakable belief in his wife's survival is never tarnished nor questioned, as he able to unite a lost community and bring hope that their loved ones will return someday. The only negative aspects of this novel is that sometimes the book is so plotted out that it feels like you are watching a movie rather than reading a book. The novel also starts off slow but picks up very quickly towards the middle. I highly recommend this novel, "Imagining Argentina" and hope that it moves you just as much as it has moved me.

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Summary: Haunting
Review: Although not a historical account of the disappeards in Argentina in the late 70s/early 80s, Imaginging Argentina reaches deeper than any history book will. The terrible torture of those taken and their always sad fates are told through the "imagination" of Carlos, but it is through Carlos' actions that we see the terrible loss, guilt, and helplessness of those not taken. Wonderfully written, Thornton's writing flows easily drawing you to read on despite your dread of what may come next. An amazingly sad book that is full of hope. It teaches us, again, that the human spirit cannot be broken.

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Summary: IA Groups/sixth sense : ...
Review: As a purely artistic endeavor, Imagining Argentina is an overwhelming success. Thornton's vivid imagery and simple, honest prose provide the perfect medium for an uninhibited exploration of the profound capabilities of human imagination. The author's creativity shines best when viewed in light of the fact that he'd never been to Argentina before writing the story, and thus imagined much of the detail conveyed therein. It is this imaginative authenticity that lends Imagining Argentina the aesthetic and dramatic help necessary to overcome its decidedly trite thematic significance.

On which it would be unfair to offer criticism without first noting that the book did leave me with an unbidden sense of optimism, strong enough to overcome any doubts I may have had regarding the book's tepid dramatic climax. Not since being forced to read uplifting modern `classics' in early high school have I encountered a story so engaging that incorporates such an encouraging narrative ethic. However, it seems as though this optimism - though mildly tempered by occasional dramatic tragedy - comes at the expense of a realistic consideration of its thematic scope.

The narrative centers on Carlos Rueda, an Argentine playwright whose wife, a vocal antiestablishment journalist, is abducted by the country's dictatorial military regime. Carlos soon discovers that he's been blessed with a preternaturally incisive imagination - powerful enough to discern the whereabouts and stories of those political prisoners, like his wife, who have "disappeared." Brave crusader and patriot, Carlos devotes his gift to the resistance against the dictatorship, providing an anchor for the faith of fellow countrymen whose loved ones have been abducted.

Though the ability of his imagination to overcome the regime's oppression seems entirely the focus of the story, Thornton does offer a more complex thematic reading (which also serves to mitigate the tenuous viability of the central optimistic theme). He provides a narrator, Martin Benn, whose life work has been as a freelance journalist - a profession strongly based in the pursuit of objective truth. It becomes Martin's goal (and ours), then, to overcome his faith in the comfortable laws of constructed reality and find faith in Carlos's imagination.

This second theme provides a more compelling read than the first, and while dramatized perhaps a touch more elusively (adding to its inherent metaphysical mystique), is nonetheless wholly unchallenged by a conflicting or cynical viewpoint. This may be the downfall of Thornton's otherwise brilliant novel: With a set of thematic intentions so far removed from the oppressive confines of cultural and political reality, he fails to provide enough resistance to make their tempting resolutions believable - once the book's spell is broken.

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Summary: Thornton's genius imagination
Review: From the moment you read the first page till you read the last word you will not be able to put the book down! Mr. Thornton's creative comparisons and almost real fantasies are sure to catch your attention. The book's extensive range of characters are described in an astonishing depth, through which the writer is able to create a picture in our minds of how Argentina was back in the Dirty War and how different people were affected by that. After reading this book you will most surely be wanting for more...

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Summary: Very realistic
Review: I wanted to address the comments of people who said this novel was not historically accurate. I write this as an Argentina Human Rigths Activist and the founder of Proyecto Desaparecidos, http://www.desaparecidos.org/arg/ . It's exactly the opposite, reading the story was as if the Ruedas clan had been introduced into a completely real situation. The story starts with a real event, the forced-disappearance of several students who were lobbying for student-priced bus fare. Cecilia, Carlos Ruedas' wife is a journalist with the real-life newspaper La Opinión, the only newspaper (save for English language Buenos Aires Herald) that actually dared to write about the repression and the disappeared at that time. In response, she's disappeared herself (and the account of her disappearance comes straight from the testimonies of such events) and taken to the ESMA where she's tortured and treated in a "typical" manner for the time. In his search for her, Carlos comes into contact with many real-life people, most of whom are given pseudonyms in the book. For example Mario Rabán, alias "Gustavo Santos", is a navy man who in the book infiltrates the families of the disappeared and plans their kidnaping at the Church of the Holy Cross, where they met. In real life, Alfredo Astiz, alias "Gustavo Niño", was a navy man who infiltrated the families of the disappeared and planned their kidnaping at the Santa Cruz Church. Both in the book and real life, Rabán/Astiz also shoots Dagmar Hageling (her real name).

The types of stories told by Carlos about what happened to the disappeared are very realistic, though perhaps there is a greater rate of escapes and liberations in his stories than in real life. Still, most seem to have been taken out of real testimonies. The winding down of the repression, with Amnesty International's and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights' visits are also historical events, as is the eventual trial of the generals.

There a couple of things that are not completely accurate, such as the command line structure at the (real life) secret detention center ESMA, but this is a novel and that type of detail would hinder rather than help the story.

Finally, what I found most amazing was the voice of the narrator and thus of the book itself. It sounded like Argentine Spanish translated into English, so much so, that sometimes I found myself translating back into Spanish for an easier flow. How an American writer can accomplish such a feat is a mystery to me.

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Summary: Impressive Novel
Review: I was assigned Thornton's Imagining Argentina for my International Politics class last semester and dreaded the day that I would have to read the book.

Much to my surprise, Imagining Argentina is a gripping novel about the tortures experienced in Argentina and throughout South America.

Thornton's grasp of Magical Realism is astonishing, especially given his native tongue and land. Thornton shows an obvious study of Spanish and South American literature and manages to evoke the nature of Magical Realism in a book written in English for an American audience.

Read Imagining Argentina. It is a fascinating novel that is impressive in both literary prowess and contemporary political importance.

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Summary: IA Groups/sixth sense : ...
Review: Imagining Argentina is a novel that would be best described as unique, profound and very extordinary. It is focused on the topic of how imagination becomes the key element in survival and strength. It reflects the actions of a young man named Carlos Rueda who comes across a unique ability to percieve the fate and wherabouts of people who have been kidnapped by their corrupt government. Imagination is used as a tool of what appears to be war between the government and the citizens, which proves to show how powerful it really is. The power of imagination is not just something Carlos can do but is something that anyone can do in order to stay strong. The theme of the novel revolves around how imagination is an act of hope. Hope of never giving up. We enjoyed reading this novel very much. Lawrence Thornton writes with great creativity and imagination which makes the novel so intrigueing to read.

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Summary: Impressive Novel
Review: In this masterfully spun and tragic tale, Lawrence Thronton captures the very essence of the genre of mystical Latin American literature. In an homage to the works of authors like Marques and Allende, the author blends the fantastic and the deadly real, giving the reader a heart wrenching view of Aregentina during the military junta. Thornton, himself not Latin, brings to life the pain and hopelessness of those whose relatives would disapear under the military's rule and who had no one to whom they could turn.

In colorful language that seems to flow off the page and into your heart, he creates a world so real that you feel like you know the depth that these characters suffer. Magical realism can be extremely dificult to write as it often fails to hold the reader. Exactly the opposite is true of this wonderful novel.

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Summary: Power in Imagination
Review: Those who read Lawrence Thorton's Imagining Argentina expecting a blow-by-blow historical account of Argentina's "dirty war" deserve to feel dissappointed.

Thorton's novel is set in Argentina during this time period (1976-1983), but he only uses these events toward a larger purpose--that of espousing the power of the imagination. Perhaps I am being too vicious here, but it actually offends me that someone can pick up a book where the title itself gives you its purpose (IMAGINING Argentina), and complain that it is not historically accurate. This is not a work of nonfiction about Argentina. It is a fictitious novel and should be treated as such.

Lest you think this is just petty bickering, rest assured I'm whining for a larger purpose. All fiction needs to be read with a little suspension of disbelief, but it is especially important with a book such as this, where the entire conceit rests on the reader's willingness to accept the imagination as a force MORE powerful than concrete fact and reality.

And Thorton does give more than a nod toward skeptics. Though his hero is a man that somehow channels into a mystical power, Thorton has chosen not to tell the story from this man's point of view. Instead, he uses a journalist--a person whose profession requires the collection and dispensation of FACTS--to guide us through this tale.

We do not read the thoughts of Carlos Rueda; rather we are reading the story of Carlos filtered through the critical eye of Martin. In this way, Thorton makes his novel that much easier to swallow, because we are reading from the point of view of a person that has the same doubts and fears that we have concerning Rueda's gift. Read it in this way and you will be most rewarded.

You will see that Thorton is not simply giving his hero a superhuman gift and raising him above others. He is building an entire world where the outcome depends on the strength of the imagination of those involved.

Their very survival literally depends on their ability to imagine. This is told straight out in a poignant early scene by Rueda. He tells his friend Silvio that the generals imagine the people of Argentina as either sheep or terrorists and then describes their predicament. "So long as we accept what the men in the car imagine, we're finished. All I've been trying to tell you is that there are two Argentinas, Silvio, the regime's travesty of it, and the one we have in our hearts."

If any more evidence is needed that this is not merely a story about Argentina and the "dirty war", consider this. Throughout the novel there are a number of references to WWII, Nazis and concentration camps. Partially, this can be seen as a way to memorialize the events, to say "this happened before" and hopefully serve as a reminder so that it will not happen again.

But there is also a crucial section of the book where Rueda encounters three survivors of a Nazi concentration camp living in the pampas. Not only do they speak frankly with Rueda about how necessary hope and imagination played into their survival, their very house is a testament to this belief. Its name is Esperanza. Hope. If this were merely a novel detailing the events of the "dirty war", there would be no need to include any of this. Thorton not only includes it, he makes it a primary part of the story. And as one final little point for this idea ... Lawrence Thorton has never been to Argentina. If this doesn't tell you that he is trying to say something about the power of the imagination, I can't think of what will.

I highly recommend this book. It has many things going for it--entertaining drama, beautiful writing, engaging characters and subject matter--but I think most important is the way in which it embraces the power of storytelling, hope and the imagination. In an age where believing in something automatically opens you up to ridicule, Thorton's validation of these things is both brave and refreshing.