Mysterious. Moody. Moving.

How an author uses voice, tone, and perspective can distract from the story and plot. If a reader has trouble understanding the direction of the narrative – much less who’s doing the talking – they will spend more time analyzing the formatting at the expense of the actual events. Yet, it’s important for writers to explore a variety of forms, styles, and genres. I want to read books that experiment with methodologies, especially if they subvert best practices with purpose and tenacity.

So, I found myself quite enamored with We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara. Published by the venerable New Directions, the novel takes place during the Spanish conquest of the New World during the 16^th century. Brutal and bloody, spooky and spectral, we follow Antonio de Erauso on his journey to escape his roots and change his future. Translated by Robin Myers, the story traces his path across Spain, across the Atlantic Ocean, across multiple jobs, and across Latin America, each step taking him farther away from the life his family chose for him.

What takes that familiar format to a fresh level is the mix of third-person limited omniscience and first-person epistolary. A solid forty percent of the book exists as one long letter written to his aunt, and it feels more like a soul-baring confessional than mere explanation. The main sixty percent shares the current events of his life, with forty percent following his attempt to save the lives of two indigenous girls and twenty percent coming from the standpoint of the captain of the military unit Antonio recently fled. You might think that this convergence of three viewpoints would offer a clear picture of what’s happening. But Cámara’s descriptive stylings create a delicious confusion, especially when the viewpoints slowly begin to diverge as the tale draws to a close.

A feverish update on magical realism, the book could feel a bit distended and blurry, but I appreciated the ambition, themes, and artistry.