Sunday 7 April 2013

Irresistible beginnings: Javier Marías


"I did not want to know but I have since come to know that one of the girls, when she wasn’t a girl anymore and hadn’t long been back from her honeymoon, went into the bathroom, stood in front of the mirror, unbuttoned her blouse, took off her bra and aimed her own father’s gun at her heart, her father at the time was in the dining room with the other members of the family and three guests."

Heart So White (1992), first lines. 

"No one ever expects that they might one day find themselves with a dead woman in their arms, a woman whose face they will never see again, but whose name they will remember."

Tomorrow in the Battle, Think on Me (1994), first lines

  
Those among us who have ever tried to write fiction are well aware of how important it is to create a good beginning. The story´s development is essential to be sure, but managing to create an irresistible start -one that gets hold of the reader and will not let him/her go- is something crucial. You have to get the reader to start reading, otherwise the bet is likely lost. 

After those magnificent first lines of A Heart so White or Tomorrow in the Battle, you simply cannot put the book down. Marias is a true master of beginnings; a master to ignite the reader´s interest. And keep it going, of course. 

2 comments:

  1. I've always been amazed, not only at his beginnings, but how even the most innocuous of phrases at the beginning comes back throughout the novel until you sometimes have to reread that beginning to truly marvel at the genius of JM's construction. It almost makes a person not want to write out of sheer awe.

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    1. Yes, those are his typical ritornellos, giving his narrative such a special taste. Nice to find another JM fan Regards.

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