Official Review: Twilight of a Dream by Felipe Alvarez
Posted: 07 Dec 2019, 03:02
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Twilight of a Dream" by Felipe Alvarez.]
On the acceptance page for the review, the author of Twilight of a Dream states that the reviewer he is looking for is one who can completely suspend disbelief and simply enjoy the ride. I took this as a challenge. Twilight of a Dream, by Felipe Alvarez, takes place in the fantasies, dreams, and daydreams (both sleeping and awake), of Joaquin, our main protagonist. Fully aware of this phenomenon, Joaquin has developed a system to help him differentiate between what is an objective reality and what is not. We are introduced to this system early in the book, and Joaquin refers to it often to process his experiences. Unfortunately, though helpful, it is not always a foolproof system. Fantasy frequently sneaks through to color and affect supposed reality.
One of Joaquin’s recurring daydreams involves a little bird who has taken up residence on his windowsill. “Finch” is real enough, but around him, Joaquin creates an intricate world which melds fantasy and reality. Finch and the web of fantasy woven around him are so influential to Joaquin that the little bird can easily be said to be a character in his own right. Through Finch and the illusions that have been built around him, Joaquin even meets his soul mate in the “real world.” The romance between Joaquin and Juliette is sweet and charmingly old-fashioned. Its tranquility is complicated, however, by threatening shades of Juliette’s past, which come calling.
As difficult as it may sound, the author has entwined Joaquin’s leaps between his dream world and reality in a surprisingly comprehensible way. Understand, some moments may make you want to go back and re-read a paragraph or two, but that is all part and parcel of the dream-like quality of the writing. Imagine floating down a gentle stream or bayou, encountering the occasional swirl and adjustment of direction as the water passes an obstacle or flows over a slight dip. That’s the absolute best analogy I can give of reading Twilight of a Dream. You float along with the writing, taking things as they come, and living Joaquin’s dreams and romance with Juliette.
Perhaps what I loved about Twilight of a Dream more than anything else is that it is wholly character-driven and is very much written in a ‘show’ not ‘tell’ style. This takes place through the conversations, behaviors, and interactions of the characters themselves. Occasionally a side character is introduced. Their motivations are seldom clear. They might complicate or even threaten Joaquin and Juliette’s journey together, or they could be of the more helpful or even protective variety. Sometimes, one may even masquerade as the other.
Some side characters have more importance in the story than others, are seen more frequently, and affect Joaquin and Juliette’s building relationship more intensely. I would, unfortunately, venture to say that these are the characters given the most backstory, more even than Joaquin and Juliette themselves. Some of these characters live on the fringes of society or are in minorities having difficulty being accepted. In all cases, the characters are portrayed with respect and empathy.
There was really nothing I disliked about this book. I would truly love to give it full stars. Unfortunately, the writing was rife with errors of all types: misplaced or missing commas, misspelled and misused words, and a plethora of awkwardly phrased sentences, such as when Joaquin tries to “insert (an emerald ring) into Juliette’s finger.” Ouch. Due to these problems, I am forced to award the book 3 out of 4 stars. There was precisely one curse word in the entire book, and references to intimacy were very discreet. I have but one trigger warning. If you are offended by LGBTQ characters or the subject itself, I recommend you avoid this book.
Because of the extremely esoteric quality of Twilight of a Dream, I wouldn’t recommend it for young readers. It would likely only confuse them. However, if you are a young adult or older reader who enjoys the whimsical, down the rabbit hole type of book, which also often delves into the philosophical, I believe you would enjoy Twilight of a Dream. I leave you with my favorite quote from the book. To me, it represents it perfectly: “… we all are in our own way, misfits of some sort. But then, that’s when the abnormal becomes the normal, for who’s to dictate what or whom should be conventional? Someone “normal?” Enjoy your trip into fantasy and the land of dreams!
******
Twilight of a Dream
View: on Bookshelves
On the acceptance page for the review, the author of Twilight of a Dream states that the reviewer he is looking for is one who can completely suspend disbelief and simply enjoy the ride. I took this as a challenge. Twilight of a Dream, by Felipe Alvarez, takes place in the fantasies, dreams, and daydreams (both sleeping and awake), of Joaquin, our main protagonist. Fully aware of this phenomenon, Joaquin has developed a system to help him differentiate between what is an objective reality and what is not. We are introduced to this system early in the book, and Joaquin refers to it often to process his experiences. Unfortunately, though helpful, it is not always a foolproof system. Fantasy frequently sneaks through to color and affect supposed reality.
One of Joaquin’s recurring daydreams involves a little bird who has taken up residence on his windowsill. “Finch” is real enough, but around him, Joaquin creates an intricate world which melds fantasy and reality. Finch and the web of fantasy woven around him are so influential to Joaquin that the little bird can easily be said to be a character in his own right. Through Finch and the illusions that have been built around him, Joaquin even meets his soul mate in the “real world.” The romance between Joaquin and Juliette is sweet and charmingly old-fashioned. Its tranquility is complicated, however, by threatening shades of Juliette’s past, which come calling.
As difficult as it may sound, the author has entwined Joaquin’s leaps between his dream world and reality in a surprisingly comprehensible way. Understand, some moments may make you want to go back and re-read a paragraph or two, but that is all part and parcel of the dream-like quality of the writing. Imagine floating down a gentle stream or bayou, encountering the occasional swirl and adjustment of direction as the water passes an obstacle or flows over a slight dip. That’s the absolute best analogy I can give of reading Twilight of a Dream. You float along with the writing, taking things as they come, and living Joaquin’s dreams and romance with Juliette.
Perhaps what I loved about Twilight of a Dream more than anything else is that it is wholly character-driven and is very much written in a ‘show’ not ‘tell’ style. This takes place through the conversations, behaviors, and interactions of the characters themselves. Occasionally a side character is introduced. Their motivations are seldom clear. They might complicate or even threaten Joaquin and Juliette’s journey together, or they could be of the more helpful or even protective variety. Sometimes, one may even masquerade as the other.
Some side characters have more importance in the story than others, are seen more frequently, and affect Joaquin and Juliette’s building relationship more intensely. I would, unfortunately, venture to say that these are the characters given the most backstory, more even than Joaquin and Juliette themselves. Some of these characters live on the fringes of society or are in minorities having difficulty being accepted. In all cases, the characters are portrayed with respect and empathy.
There was really nothing I disliked about this book. I would truly love to give it full stars. Unfortunately, the writing was rife with errors of all types: misplaced or missing commas, misspelled and misused words, and a plethora of awkwardly phrased sentences, such as when Joaquin tries to “insert (an emerald ring) into Juliette’s finger.” Ouch. Due to these problems, I am forced to award the book 3 out of 4 stars. There was precisely one curse word in the entire book, and references to intimacy were very discreet. I have but one trigger warning. If you are offended by LGBTQ characters or the subject itself, I recommend you avoid this book.
Because of the extremely esoteric quality of Twilight of a Dream, I wouldn’t recommend it for young readers. It would likely only confuse them. However, if you are a young adult or older reader who enjoys the whimsical, down the rabbit hole type of book, which also often delves into the philosophical, I believe you would enjoy Twilight of a Dream. I leave you with my favorite quote from the book. To me, it represents it perfectly: “… we all are in our own way, misfits of some sort. But then, that’s when the abnormal becomes the normal, for who’s to dictate what or whom should be conventional? Someone “normal?” Enjoy your trip into fantasy and the land of dreams!
******
Twilight of a Dream
View: on Bookshelves
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