The Noise Of Infinite Longing (2005) - Plot & Excerpts
The author uses her mother's death to review her own life and her family's story. Her mother's story is essentially two different lives: one in Puerto Rico and the other in Texas. Luisa Lopez Torregrosa's life is divided into two parts, as well: one is her childhood, her father and Puerto Rico and the other is coming of age, living everywhere but Puerto Rico and coming to terms with her sexuality and her writing life.It is a compelling story but it is marred by the emotional distance the author takes because she is afraid to fully embrace one or the other life. But I was bothered by the meanness in her descriptions of everyone. She comments on the physical flaws of all her family members as they age, even as she might say something nice about them. But I was struck at her discussion of their personal flaws, their mistakes in life and I thought how difficult she makes it for them to live their lives now when she so publicly reveals these things. The story came together a bit better in the last 40 pages or so but not enough to satisfy me. The writing was fine but I found some of the author's stated feelings about people didn't ring true in her actions. Do I like this book less because I wanted her to act differently? Perhaps partly but it's more that she seems ready to pick at everyone else but we know so little about her even at the end of the book.
What do You think about The Noise Of Infinite Longing (2005)?
