Spanish / Colombia
Albina
Muñoz Toro, Juliana
(text)
Lozano, Bea
(illus.)
Medellín: Tragaluz, 2022. – 137 p.
ISBN 978-958-5463-60-8
Albinism | Family | Seasons
Reading age: 12+
White Ravens issue: 2023
Along with her mother and brother, Erea moves to another country in the north to live with her aunt. Over the course of a year, beginning in autumn, Erea describes her life as it is shaped by falling leaves, the cold and snow of winter, by the burgeoning nature in spring, and the heat of summer. In a continuous stream of thoughts and memories she shares her experiences and feelings, which are strongly influenced by two things. One is her struggle with being an albino because it forces her to avoid the sun, limits her vision, and consequently makes her feel transparent and unseen. Moreover, she misses her father. For reasons only vaguely hinted at, he has not come along with his family. »Albina« is a quiet book that nonetheless takes on resonance. With a lyrical, sensual, rhythmically flowing style, Juliana Muñoz Toro affords deep insight into the fragile inner life of the protagonist and enables the floating, fleeting atmosphere of the narrative to become palpable. [JW]