A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sáenz, B. A. (2018). The inexplicable logic of my life. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
B. PLOT SUMMARY
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life is a story that centers around Salvador, a high school senior living with his adoptive gay father. Sal was taken in by his father, Vicente, after his mother died of cancer when he was three. Sal has a best friend named Samantha, who he has been very close to since they were both very young. As the two of them enter their final year of high school, Sal begins questioning everything about himself, and he even begins thinking about who his biological father is. After a classmate tells Sal that his father is a "faggot," he punches him, starting a string of violent confrontations throughout the novel. Sal has always been laid back and calm, but these questions he has been asking himself begin to surface as violence and anger.
Sal also discovers that his grandmother's cancer has returned and that she does not have much time left. He has always had a very special relationship with his grandmother, and both Sal and his father struggle with what her loss will mean for the family. Sal's father, seeing that he has been struggling lately, gives Sal a letter from his mother, which he had been told to save for the right time. Sal is hesitant to open it for fear of what he might uncover about his biological father. Sal and Sam also befriend a kid named Fito, who has a rough homelife and aspirations of going away to college next year. The three of them form a very close friendship, despite an initial reluctance from Sam.
We learn later on in the novel that Sam's mother, whom she has had a rocky relationship with, dies in a car accident. Devastated and heartbroken, Sam moves in with Sal and his father while Fito, who has been kicked out of his house, moves into Sam's abandoned home. The three of them continue hanging out, serving as each other's support system as they navigate their senior year and the problems in their lives. Fito's mom eventually dies of a drug overdose, which causes him to feel guilty for abandoning her. At her funeral, a fight breaks out eventually leading to Sal coming in to protect his friend. Shortly after, Sal's grandmother dies, leaving him feeling numb and empty. Sal eventually reads the letter from his mother, and he discovers how her and his father eventually met and became friends. In the envelope is some information about his biological father, which Sal burns with his friends and father looking on. He has found closure by the end of the novel, and he understands that the man who has raised him since he was a child is his real father.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Saenz does such a wonderful job depicting a modern-day Mexican-American family throughout this novel. The characters, their El Paso home, and the dialogue throughout the story felt so authentic and real that I wonder how much of this was taken from Saenz' own life. Even though Sal is technically white (both his biological parents were white), he still feels as though he is Mexican, since the main influences in his life, and the people that raised him, were Mexican. It brings into question the "outsider" question that has been discussed throughout this course, and whether or not someone who is not part of a particular race or culture can successfully and authentically write about that race or culture. Sal questions the "nature vs. nurture" debate throughout the story, eventually deciding that nurture wins out. He questions who his biological father is, and he wonders often if his reason for fighting so often is just "in his blood." He eventually realizes that it is the people that raise and shape us that determine who we eventually become.
The novel also discusses what it means to be a "true Mexican," typically in a joking manner between Sal and his friends. There are aspects of Sam and Fito's life that often points to and claims that they aren't real Mexicans, such as the fact that they haven't made tamales or luminarias around the holidays. The book focuses heavily on the customs and traditions followed by Mexican Americans (largely around the holidays), which I found to be fairly depictive and accurate. I found it interesting how Saenz sometimes depicted Sal, the one character who was not Mexican, as the "most Mexican" of the friend group, giving more credit to the fact that we are the people that we are raised to be. There are also several mentions of things that Sal does (or doesn't do) that the other characters are quick to point out prove that he is in fact white. The real vs. not real Mexican discussions were really interesting, and I think all of those conversations and instances of what "real" Mexicans do point out that there is no such one way to be a "real" or "true" Mexican. There are customs and traditions that are largely practiced, but not participating in these things does not make someone any less true to their race or culture.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
"As Sal tries to understand the way his fists seem to be acting on their own, as he sorts through memories and feelings about mothers in general and his mother in particular, Sal wraps readers in a 464-page hug, sharing longing and insight that ultimately affirms the goodness of strong families with the generosity to draw in and rescue those in need of steady, solid, unconditional love."
--Bulletin
"Sáenz presents readers with several beautifully drawn relationships... Sal is one of those characters you wonder about after the book is closed. Maybe Sáenz will tell us more."
--Booklist
"The themes of love, social responsibility, death, and redemption are expertly intertwined with well-developed characters and a compelling story line. This complex, sensitive, and profoundly moving book is beautifully written and will stay with readers. VERDICT A must-purchase title, recommended for all school and public libraries."
--School Library Journal, starred review
E. CONNECTIONS
No comments:
Post a Comment