easy breezy

Almost every course I'm taking this semester, and a good number of the classes I've taken in recent history, have been based in classical texts; renaissance literature or ancient Greek drama or even just fat, golden 19th century novels. In this way it was somewhat refreshing to read Rosario Tijeras, if only for the fact that it was so outside of what I've gotten used to reading. I wouldn't argue that it's a brilliant book, but I'm also holding myself back from ripping it apart as I'm afraid that may just be a visceral reaction to encountering an unusually 'easy read'. All the same, having it as required reading in all Columbian schools strikes me as too high a praise; the comparison thrown out the other day to it being a South American 'catcher in the rye' isn't totally off mark, considering the role it may play to a relatable audience & the parallel of it being standard, required reading, but the caliber and inherent lasting quality of the two coming-of-age tales is so disparate that its almost a sacreligious comparison. Then again, while I can relate to this text more so than I can, say, Belchamber, I don't relate to it like a kid from the hills Medellin would, so who knows?