Review: It Would be Night in Caracas, by Karina Sainz Borgo

It Would be Night in Caracas
by Karina Sainz Borgo

Edition: 2019
Pages: 240
Publisher: 4th Estate, HarperVia

Summary: Told with gripping intensity, It Would be Night in Caracas chronicles one woman’s desperate battle to survive amid the dangerous, sometimes deadly, turbulence of modern Venezuela and the lengths she must go to secure her future.

In Caracas, Venezuela, Adelaida Falcon stands over an open grave. Alone, except for harried undertakers, she buries her mother–the only family Adelaida has ever known.

Numb with grief, Adelaida returns to the apartment they shared. Outside the window that she tapes shut every night—to prevent the tear gas raining down on protesters in the streets from seeping in. When looters masquerading as revolutionaries take over her apartment, Adelaida resists and is beaten up. It is the beginning of a fight for survival in a country that has disintegrated into violence and anarchy, where citizens are increasingly pitted against each other. But as fate would have it, Adelaida is given a gruesome choice that could secure her escape.

Filled with riveting twists and turns, and told in a powerful, urgent voice, It Would Be Night in Caracas is a chilling reminder of how quickly the world we know can crumble.
In Caracas, Venezuela, Adelaida Falcon stands over an open grave. Alone, except for harried undertakers, she buries her mother–the only family Adelaida has ever known.
Numb with grief, Adelaida returns to the apartment they shared. Outside the window that she tapes shut every night—to prevent the tear gas raining down on protesters in the streets from seeping in. When looters masquerading as revolutionaries take over her apartment, Adelaida resists and is beaten up. It is the beginning of a fight for survival in a country that has disintegrated into violence and anarchy, where citizens are increasingly pitted against each other. But as fate would have it, Adelaida is given a gruesome choice that could secure her escape.
Filled with riveting twists and turns, and told in a powerful, urgent voice, It Would Be Night in Caracas is a chilling reminder of how quickly the world we know can crumble.

Rating: 3/5

Review: NetGalley sent me an anticipated ebook proof in exchange of an honest review.

I have a bunch of mixed feelings about this book, which has made me postponed this review for a long time. Karina Borgo brings a narrative that, for sure, has appalled to her readers. But while dense and full of lively descriptions, with angst, contempt, and violence, there is a gap on how the conduction of the characters’ actions are filled in the context.

Venezuela is brought to the reader in the mists of a popular revolution, political chaos, and disintegration. While we have followed the news on what’s happening in the country in recent years (especially because there was a flow of immigration from Portugal to Venezuela in the 40’s, that kept increasing up to the 80’s. Therefore, we can still find some communities of second-generation Portuguese immigrants that stablished their life there), there is a lack of specific context for the less knowledgeable reader. Even so as I have continued reading with doubts on if the descriptions were of events that happened in the past (remembering the revolutions of the 70’s, the Caracazo episode in 1989 or any other moment of instability and uplifting of the misery of Venezuelans) or were focused on more recent years.

To me, having a defined period would be necessary to start focusing on the characters and their challenges without feeling lost. As continuing the reading, we find some glimpses of objects and period references, and could perceive the period of the book as being focused on recent years. However, in that moment I was already less involved with it the plot, following all the effort unrightfully channelled to a dilemma that should not have been one. 

Nevertheless, I cannot say how palpable the violent descriptions were and how much despair we have felt after Adelaida’s mother funeral and all the events this woman faced while having to start facing the world alone.

The main impact I’ve felt during this reading was the comparison between the past and the present and the eminent feeling of fear and frustration resulting from the fragilities of the institutions we as a society trust in. If there is anything we remembered from these past months, is that life as we know it can change in a glimpse, and countries only survive as long as their leaders are trusted, and when there isn’t any external context defying its substance.

Venezuela is being dissected and exposed on its fragilities, on its dichotomies between the poorest and the most dangerous, the hopeless and the ones still fighting with all the guns they find, even if that means losing their morality and humanity. The crimes and violence are the law, and the people are simultaneously sheriffs and culprits.

Adelaida finds herself completely lost, without anyone to give her assistance, and must reinvent herself and find a solution for her life. Not only is her country falling apart but her finances are completely spent on her mother’s funeral. Her cultural roots, her family memories and her financial support are lost in the Venezuela of the present.

With the arrival of unexpected events, there is only one solution, and every bet is on this small chance of success. I have found this section of the plot a bit forced mainly because of its simplicity. Everything was too easy and almost given to the main character, which makes the complementarity between the context and her decisions a bit unplausible. The sequence of events in a determinist flow seamed exaggerated and somehow, diminished the impact of the character’s decision.  

The path between Venezuela and Adelaida’s destination is shortened in description, and I confess I finished the book a bit disappointed. Even so, I must point out the ability of Karina to describe every scene and to create a realistic conjunction of moments. Her career as a journalist becomes very recognisable in this process and one of the main reasons why I kept reading was the fluidity and incisive construction of Adelaida’s internal thoughts.

  Cláudia

About the author:
 
Addicted to the library Claudia loves to read on the move and we can usualy find her sitting in a train or bus reading while commuting to and from work. But don't be fooled she is also keeping an eye on the landscape and all around her. She is an avid defender of sustainability and volunteering and it's as easy to find her starting a new project as it is to find her chatting with her friends. She is a dreamer and loves good stories so she keeps looking for them in her personal life.