The Time of Doves- Mercè Rodoreda

Initially, reading the book is like diving into a tornado of feelings and vivid imagery. With its turbulent setting in early 20th-century Barcelona, the novel explores the protagonist’s life focusing on her personal hardships and the sociopolitical chaos going on around her.

The adept use of stream-of-consciousness in Rodoreda’s story strikes me as one of its most remarkable features. This method, which reflects the protagonist’s inner monologue, establishes a close relationship between the audience and the character by bringing her pleasures, regrets, and anxieties to life. To give one example, the protagonist’s fear of the outside world, expressed in the words, “the crowds and cars and buses and motorcycles made me dizzy… I was scared of everything,” demonstrates her inner anguish and her attempt to find comfort in her home’s familiar surroundings, with the way this is described a lot of readers might be able to relate themselves to this. 

Reading about her life transitions—which are characterized by significant moments like her children’s First Communions—as a reader helped me to comprehend the protagonist’s complexity and gain a profound understanding of her character. These events are presented with a blend of warmth and melancholy. During such a family occasion, the protagonist’s perception of her daughter Rita as a reflection of her former love Quimet highlights the nuanced nature of her thoughts and the complexity of her character.

In addition, the book explored topics like identity, love, and loss against the setting of the Spanish Civil War, providing additional historical context to enhance the story. The main character’s concerns and conjectures regarding Quimet’s destiny and her life with Antoni also represent the period’s political turmoil, general uncertainties, and greater concerns in society. 

The way Rodoreda combined the political and the personal, turning the protagonist’s journey into an abstract representation of the more significant social shifts, truly caught my attention. The reader is taken on a highly intimate journey into a woman’s life during a time of conflict and upheaval by the novel’s powerful storytelling and vibrant, descriptive language.

Though engrossing, the stream-of-consciousness approach can occasionally be confusing, making it difficult to follow the story’s progression. I was confused quite a few times. I tried to match its flow and rhythm.

All in all, “The Time of the Doves” immerses readers in a world where political and personal stories collide. It serves as a moving reminder of both the enduring power of the human being and the profound effects that history has on people’s lives.

I’m interested to know what you think of Rodoreda’s use of the protagonist’s life experiences to make general observations about society shifts. What do you think the novel’s interplay between the political and the personal reveals about the individuals and their surroundings, and how does it do so?