book cover (one of the many many covers)
Genre: a mix of literature, biography, fiction, history
Language: Spanish/English-translation (don’t worry, the translation did not change anything much. I checked)
Probably have to read another time to fully grasp the concept, characters and meaning. I think I’m going to borrow ‘SparksNotes’ for the book.

100 years of solitude chronicles the rise and fall of the Buendía family in the mystical village of Macondo, founded by the family slightly more than a hundred years ago, deep in the swamps of South America. Macondo is a magical, bustling place of rich culture, superstitions and mysterious happenings, which is only visited by the gypsies, bringing with them wonders from the far reaches of the outside world… In short, Macondo is a village that has stood solitary for approximately a hundred years…

The Buendía family tree is a real ‘tree’, with so many branches and cross-linkages, as well as numerous offsprings. Their names are all various combinations of Arcadio, Jose, Aureliano and Buendía for the men; and Úrsula, Amaranta, Remedios for the women. It’s a torture trying to remember who’s who, especially the men, so well, don’t bother. Just go with the flow, and get swept up in the magical story of the Buendías.

The writing style of the book is unique. It’s unlike that of many other authors. For one, it’s not a first-person narrative. In fact, the author writes in a way such that he presents the information to you in a non-judgmental manner, seemingly forcing you to skim across the surface of matters. However, as one gets to understand the characters more, one cannot help but try to analyse their characters. It’s not easy, as I’ve tried to as well, but failed… Somehow, I believe that some of their offspring were autistic! Other medical students will also can’t help but diagnose dementia, delirium, laryngeal cancer or even tuberculosis! (heh heh) Therein lies the extra fun for us.

I truly admire some of the female characters in the book… such as Fernanda Renato (an Italian who journeyed from so far away to marry one of the Buendía-twins), Úrsula, the 115 years old wife of the founder of Macondo, who, when blind and disabled, managed to keep the family running… In fact, I would say the family’s downfall was predicted by her death and that of Santa Sofía de la Piedad, a concubine who bore with all the humiliation and even contributed to the Buendía family when they were in ruins. Finally, I also lament the fate of some, such as that of Memé, the daughter of Fernanda, who had a child out of wedlock and was cloistered for the rest of her life…

I find it truly difficult to understand the thoughts of many characters. For eg. that of Amaranta, daughter of Úrsula. Eventually, I just wanted to list her away as ‘just another personality disorder’. heheh.

A dominant theme in this book is that of tradition. Everything, is steeped in a set of cultural beliefs very different from our own. You could almost say, it’s a ‘Buendía’ tradition. Another theme that one would recognise only about halfway through the book is one of endless time. There’s no real movement forwards, rather, it’s a series of ups-and-downs. The characters are almost timeless, which just adds to the magical quality of the book.

Overall, I find that this entire book and all its content is fairly shrouded in mystery… A mystery caused by ignorance, superstitions and possibly an inherited form of mental illness, that’s perpetuated by the aged beliefs of the pple of Macondo. It is admirable that Márquez is able to weave such a rich fabric of content and to draw the readers into the colourful lives of the descendants of Macondo, as they rise and fall with the relentless sweep of time.