Todo eso que tanto nos gusta (review)

Pedro Zarraluki's latest novel, Todo eso que tanto nos gusta, shares many of the same characteristics that made his prior novel, Un encargo difícil, winner of the Nadal prize for 2005, such a resounding success. Both texts concern human behavior in a small town and underline the positive aspects of friendships between very disparate people who in other circumstances would never have been friends. The author highlights the simple things in life such as strong familial relationships and companionship rather than professional and/or economic accomplishments. Nevertheless, Zarraluki contends that all relationships must be cultivated and require selflessness on all sides.

The novel is narrated in first person by Ricardo, a very unhappy lawyer from Barcelona whose wife left him two months prior. Ricardo receives a phone call from his mother, Cristina, imploring him to find his father, Tomás, who has left Cristina a note saying that he has embarked on a journey to Tibet. Even though Tomás and Cristina have been divorced for years due to Tomás's affair with a younger woman, strong feelings still remain between the two. Ricardo agrees to search for his father and later finds him, not in Tibet, but in a small town to the north of Girona near the sea, living out of his car. Ricardo promptly installs his father and himself in a small hostel whose brusque owner, Lola, rents rooms to prostitutes. Lola and one of the eastern European prostitutes, Daryna, the subject of Ricardo's fantasies, become fully integrated into the lives of Ricardo and Tomás and later form a vital part of the town's community. Although Ricardo's original idea is to convince his father to return home he realizes that he has never seen Tomás so happy. Zarraluki wonderfully depicts the changing relationship between father and son where the two try to navigate their past to better understand their present behavior. Both have to become accustomed to Tomás aging and needing Ricardo's help which is a direct inversion of the traditional roles between father and son. Ricardo learns not to infantilize Tomás and to accept his father's wishes and Tomás learns to let his son be of assistance to him and to acknowledge his own vulnerability. Both men, not great communicators, have to come to terms with the death of Ricardo's younger brother David, a theme which is alluded to throughout the novel but not resolved until near the end. Zarraluki artfully and realistically portrays a family that for years has refused to confront thorny issues. It is fascinating to see that David's vision of his brother and their relationship does not match the idea that his parents have of their sons. The author's sensitivity and psychological acuity of each character make the novel an accurate study of human behavior, one with which many readers can identify.

The book's other characters, a veritable olio of distinct personalities and economic and social backgrounds, add to the novel's charm. Tomás's best friend, Marcelo, dedicates his life to the care of his blind wife, Paquita, famous for her roses. Tomás and Ricardo work for Barbara Baldova, a wealthy Italian heiress who wants to renovate abandoned houses and turn them into an artists' colony. Cristina, to prevent Tomás from forming a relationship with the beautiful Italian, ensconces herself in the town and cultivates an authentic friendship with Barbara. Cristina also forms a strong bond with María, the young taxi driver and daughter of the owner of the bar where everyone in town congregates. María is very grateful for the advice that Cristina dispenses for her upcoming nuptials. Zarraluki underscores the positive aspects of human behavior amongst the town's inhabitants especially when confronted with adverse circumstances such as the attack on Lola by the eastern European pimps who are unwilling to renounce Daryna's earnings. The author also advocates trying to understand one's own...