Reading Group Guide
When a band of guerrillas arrives in the mountain village of Mariquita and forcibly "recruits" all the men to fight for the communist cause, the women are left behind to fend for themselves. Now virtual widows, they must overcome their grief, fear, ignorance and passivity in order to survive. As they go about rebuilding their lives, the women of Mariquita challenge the male orientation that once governed them so completely and eventually replace it with a vision all their own: an all-female utopia founded on the very socialist ideals the guerrillas claim to be fighting for.
Exquisitely wrought, remarkably original, James Cañón's stunning debut marks the arrival of an unforgettable new literary talent.
Questions for Discussion
QUESTIONS:
1. A reviewer described Tales from the Town of Widows as "prime magical realism a la García Márquez, Cortázar and Vargas Llosa." Do you agree with that characterization? How would you characterize this book? How does this book compare to other South American novels?
2. When their men are taken away by communist guerrillas, the women of Mariquita lose their family providers. What else, in your opinion, did the women of Mariquita lose? What did they gain?
3. Cañón's novel puts forth a fascinating societal question: What if all the men in a town were wiped out in a war, and the women were left alone? Do you think males are expendable? What would a community without men in America be like? What new systems would you put in place if you were left to develop a whole new way of coping with the trials of everyday life? Could you impact the world in new and improved ways?
4. Cañón challenges the modern ideas of gender and sexuality, questions whether socialist principles are the evil we believe them to be, and above all, provokes new ways to view equality and leadership in today's often confused social atmosphere. Do you agree? Why?
5. Cañón's choice to alternate the women's stories with vignettes from the world the men found themselves trapped in has triggered different reactions. In what ways do you find this technique successful or unsuccessful?
6. Jonathan Kirsch from The Washington Post Book World Review, wrote that "Male violence rather than magic realism, in fact, is the unsettling subtext of Tales From the Town of Widows." Do you agree? What was your reaction to the vignettes from the men?
7. Although Colombia has the second largest displaced population in the world after Sudan, its war—the longest and bloodiest civil war in this hemisphere—has gotten little attention on human rights and refugee issues. Do you think this book can play a role in achieving social justice in Colombia? Do you think a book of fiction can influence the politics of a region? How?
8. At the end of the book, Mariquita's all-female utopia is put to the test when four men return to the village, forcing the women to negotiate between the world they've lost and the imperfect, peaceful existence they've created. What do you think of the women's final decision? Does it seem like a realistic solution?
9. The book embodies many contradictions. It is at once lyrical and brutal, subversive and idealistic, satirical and affecting, wickedly funny and profoundly sad. Do you like this approach? In what ways do you find this style effective or ineffective?
10. The author chose to write his debut novel in English, a language he did not begin speaking until 1995. Why do you think Cañón chose to write it in English? Do you think this would be a completely different book had he written it in his first language? How do you think it would be different?
11. One of the biggest debates about this book is whether or not it is a feminist novel. What are your thoughts on this issue?
12. In an interview, Cañón said that the last line of his novel was meant to be a reply to One Hundred Years of Solitude's last line, in which "races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth." Does Tales from the Town of Widows' last line reflect Cañón's hopeful attitude toward the future of his "race"? The future of Colombian women? Or the future of women in general?
13. Is Tales from the Town of Widows a tragedy, romance, comedy, or tragicomedy?
14. Do you think the story's ending would have been different if a woman had written the book? How would you end the story?
15. What does the opening scene reveal about the women of Mariquita?
16. "This is and will always be a land of men," a guerrilla boy said to the Morales widow. What are the implications of this phrase? Is this true for Latin America? How does the boy's comment fit into the context of the novel?
17. Julio César becomes permanently mute after the guerrilla attack in the first chapter. Discuss the symbolism behind his muteness.
18. Discuss the reasons that make Rosalba take up the office of magistrate of Mariquita.
19. What makes Rosalba such an engaging character? What are her more appealing attributes?
20. What is Rosalba searching for? Does she ever find it? Does it find her?
21. In what ways does Cleotilde de Guarnizo defy popular notions of older women?
22. Besides being widows, what do Rosalba, Ubaldina, and Cleotilde have in common?
23. Discuss the reasons why Rosalba and Cleotilde never get along in the novel.
24. What role does Padre Rafael play in Mariquita's fate?
25. Discuss the hidden reasons why Padre Rafael kills the four boys.
26. Chapter Five begins with Francisca having a dream in which the men of Mariquita return, only they're faceless and naked, and all of them have small penises and enormous testicles. Discuss the symbolism behind this image. What's the significance of the dream in Francisca's tale?
27. At the end of Chapter Six, Santiago takes Pablo to the river. "He fixed his gaze on Pablo's face, filling himself full of the man he loved, and gently began to release his hold on him, his solid arms slowly separating from the smallness of his lover's back, giving him to the current like a gift." In what ways is the novel as a whole about the importance of letting go of the past in order to move forward?
28. Chapter Nine poses a question about the importance of time. "Time only exists in your mind, Magistrate," Magnolia says to Rosalba. Do you agree with Magnolia? Do you think time is an overrated concept? If you were in the same situation, how would you keep track of time?
29. Discuss the Theory of Female Time of Rosalba and Cleotilde. What are the benefits of it? What are the disadvantages?
30. In Chapter 11, a cow named Perestroika saves the village. What does the cow's name suggest?