The fragility of a heart in the rain
The fragility of a heart in the rain it's a novel new adult romantic in style written by the prolific Spanish author María Martínez. She is known by titles like When there are no more stars to count, me, you and a maybe o words i never told you. The work that concerns this review was published for the first time in 2020 by the youth publishing label Crossbooks.
Given the affection that many readers already feel for María Martínez, they did not take long to scan the bookstore shelves to get their own copy of The fragility of a heart in the rain. The text has received mixed reviews.Because some defend the agile pen of the author and her ability to express emotions, and others, claim that book It is nothing more than a corny and superficial story.
Synopsis of The fragility of a heart in the rain
Losing everything to find herself
Like many contemporary books, this novel is narrated by the voices of its two protagonists: Darcy and Declan. The history starts with an awkward conversation that Darcy keeps with her best friend while they have coffee. Eliza emphasizes how terrible her job is as her designer, where she is neither given the credit she deserves nor paid properly.
He also questions her about her reluctant behavior regarding her engagement to Andrew, whom she has dated for four years and lived with for two. All of these ideas take their toll on Darcy—how empty, routine, and meaningless her existence has become. Later, A series of events cause the young woman to end up losing everything.: the job you hate, the boyfriend you don't love and the life you want to change, even if you don't know it.
Back in Tofino
As if there were not many calamities that he must face, Darcy receives the news that his grandfather is seriously ill., forcing her to travel to his side to say goodbye. This is how the woman moves from New Zealand to Tofino, a town located in Vancouver, Canada.
However, María Martínez uses analepsis to recount the past tragedies of the protagonist, and explain why his reunion with the town where he grew up is so traumatic.
Darcy is a 24 year old artist graduated in Fine Arts. However, does not live fully. This is related to the abandonment of her parents and the subsequent neglect of her grandfather and her boyfriend, the only two people she trusted.
The least expected day had to leave everything he knew and loved to return to a place that never felt like his own, only to return years later and try to close all the unfinished cycles and still open wounds.
A love of those
Darcy has left many painful memories in Tofino. In addition to her grandfather's, the one that affects her the most is Declan's, whom she sees again after eight years. Both characters shared a very intense love when they were teenagers.
En este sentido, The fragility of a heart in the rain shows the cliché of the better half. In this sense: nothing exists without the presence of the other person, whose absence is a generator of anguish or an incentive for an empty life.
Unlike Darcy, Declan hasn't been in a serious relationship in recent years.. However, like the protagonist, she has carried a heavy load: her younger brother is bedridden, and there is nothing the man can do to save him. On the one hand, the reunion between the main characters gives a twist to what they feel about the circumstances in which they live, on the other, they are not the ones who must be saved.
About the message of the novel
Despite being a romantic work, The fragility of a heart in the rain does not focus entirely on love. Darcy and Declan's story is not one where one rescues the other, or both give each other redemption, but one where the two protagonists find a safe place within themselves.
Self-care and self-love are the most important message in this title by María Martínez. However, none of the protagonists presents greater evolution. Together, their relationship feels superfluous and rushed.
In fact, one of the cons that many readers find in this novel has to do with the ease with which conflicts are resolved and the lack of personal growth in their characters, especially in the secondary ones. The latter seem to exist only as a resource to advance the plot, and not as the construction of people with feelings, goals, difficulties and personalities of their own.
Narrative style of María Martínez
One of María Martínez's strengths is her agile and aesthetic pen. Despite criticism regarding this particular work, his way of describing the landscapes of Tofino and the emotions of the protagonists managed to captivate readers.
Some of those less enthusiastic about the plot of the novel remarked that, precisely, el narrative style of the writer was the only thing that made them continue reading de The fragility of a heart in the rain.
About the author, María Martínez
María Martínez
María Martínez Franco was born in 1966, in Elche, Spain. As a child, she had a penchant for reading., which ultimately led her to become interested in writing literature.
Throughout her career as a writer she has participated in various contests, where she has been nominated for several awards. Some examples of this were the Planeta novel prize in 2008, the Carmen Martín Gaite Cultural Association Prize in 2009 and the Hispania Historical Novel Contest in 2013.
Later, she finally rose as the winner in one of these contests, specifically, in the VI Velvet Award, which she received thanks to her novel Mudayyan. Other of Martínez's great passions are music and cinema, arts that he uses to be inspired when creating new stories.
Other works by María Martínez
- the charm of the raven (2013);
- Crossing the limits (2015);
- A song for Novalie (2015);
- Breaking the rules (2016);
- words i never told you (2017);
- Defying the rules (2017);
- You and other natural disasters (2019);
- Destination (2020);
- Omen (2021);
- Sacrifice (2021);
- When there are no more stars to count (2021);
- You, me and a maybe (2022);
- me, you and a maybe (2022);
- What the snow whispers when falling (soon).