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The Truce, by Mario Benedetti, brings the diary of Martín Santomé, a man from Montevideo about to turn 50 and to apply for his retirement.
Full of irony, we follow Martín thoughts for a year in his diary. We see the unfolding of his dull life and his ramblings about life after retirement: "I wish I could stay in bed late, at least until nine or ten, but at half past six I wake up alone and can no longer sleep a wink. Sometimes I think about what I'll do when my whole life will be a Sunday."
With the arrival of new employees in his office, he meets Laura Avellaneda, a 25-year-old colleague, and he gradually falls in love with her. And his thoughts about retirement goes into the background to give place for the ones about love and the fear of the age gap.
It is not a love story, at least, not as expected in a romcom or enemies-to-lovers stories.
First impressions
As it is a diary, everything and everyone takes on the colors that Santomé gives: from his first wife and children to co-workers and the bartender. I confess that Martin Santomé's prejudice and arrogance gave me moments of anger that didn't let me see the criticism behind the character. It's so much sexism that I needed extra time to think carefully about the book.
This book reflects on the feeling of letting life pass you by. And how easy it is to fall into monotony and stifle life. The scene in the office about the lottery ticket captures well this feeling. If you won the lottery, would you keep doing what you do today?
SPOILER ALERT
This book was a huge success and got adapted into different media, even ballet. In 1974, the book got adapted into a film. The movie 'The Truce' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Additionally, there is another Mexican production from 2003 with the same name.
Mario Benedetti's writing is charming and creates multiple nuances. It is a book that takes you to Montevideo, with descriptions of the places and the readings of society made by the protagonist. Immersed in the Rioplatense atmosphere, it will make you think about what you want out of life and what you do in life on a day-to-day basis.
It was a great reading that brought numerous insights.
About the Writer
Mario Benedetti (1920-2009) is one of the most relevant writers in Uruguay and Latin America. The Uruguayan was a poet, novelist, translator, and journalist and had over 80 books published. He was a political activist and exiled for over 10 years. His texts subtly show the small facts of everyday life of the Uruguayan middle class, mainly in Montevideo.
Other Books: Who Among Us (1953), Springtime in a broken mirror (1982), Pedro and the Captain (1979), Blood Pact and Other Stories (1997), Witness: The Selected Poems of Mario Benedetti (2012)
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