Withered deciduous pomegranate in bloom by Sara Baume

Idioma original: English

Original title: Spill Simmer Falter Wither

Translation: Isabel Ferrer, Carlos Milla

Year of publication: 2015

Valuation: highly recommended

If there is a literary prize for the best book titles, I have my favorites: The Sailor Who Failed the Sea, Wait for Me in Siberia, My Love!, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Sound and the Furyand, of course, this book by an author I recently met, Flowering deciduous withered pomegranate treeby Sara Baume. I feel like it could even be one of those micro-stories, as well as suggesting the tone of the book.

A middle-aged man, who is presented from the beginning as a lonely and somewhat maladjusted person, visits a shelter to adopt a one-eyed dog, a victim of abuse. We do not know if he identifies with the animal’s unfortunate past, with its helplessness or with its limited vision. Both characters, in their vulnerability and loneliness, find a mirror in each other, a form of company that allows them to face the harshness of the outside (and inside) world.

The landscapes of rural Ireland are described with an almost painterly sensibility that is a hallmark of the author. Sara Baume, who lives in the south-west of Ireland, is immersed in those very landscapes that she describes with such precision and beauty. Baume’s proximity to these landscapes allows her to capture the intimate interaction between humans and their environment in a way that only someone who lives and breathes that same air could do.

This is not a book recommended for those looking for big events or dramatic plot twists. Rather, the story unfolds through small moments, whether evocations of memories, everyday events or daydreams, which Baume manages to convey with poetic prose. I understand that the one reviewed here is the Spanish version, which preserves to a certain degree the essence of the English original, but this is one of those books in which it is necessary to take a look at the original version and, if possible, read some passages out loud. This is where the novel’s strength lies: in the slow unravelling of emotions, rhythm and pauses. The sonority of certain passages, the silences, even the rhymes, not only enrich the reading experience, but also help to place us in a certain mood in sync with the narrative.

Flowering deciduous withered pomegranate tree is a work that offers an introspective look at loneliness and compassion, with honesty and humanity. Sara Baume has created a narrative that, although melancholic, is full of beauty and empathy.

I thank Sara for taking the time to talk with me about her books and her art: