An Exploration of Creativity, Culture, and Aging
Julia Alvarez’s ‘The Cemetery of Untold Stories’ is a powerful and lyrical allegory about an older artist haunted by her own creativity. Alma Cruz, a writer and professor based in Vermont, is one of four daughters in a family from the Dominican Republic. Having witnessed a friend and fellow author break down due to writerly frustration, Alma is determined to avoid a similar fate. Her journey, shaped by her late father’s death and the creeping awareness of her own aging, forms the crux of this enchanting novel.
Alma’s Battle with Artistic Aging
As Alma navigates the challenges of aging, she confronts not just physical and cognitive decline but also a sense of dwindling creative time. Quitting her day job doesn’t bring the peace she seeks; the feeling of artistic aging, of running out of time, continues to hound her. Seeking a solution, Alma decides to exorcise the ghosts of her unfinished projects by returning to the Dominican Republic and burying her failed manuscripts. This act doesn’t just squelch her stories; it breathes new life into them.
The Symbolism of Burying Stories
Alvarez’s work is replete with rich symbolism. The burial of Alma’s manuscripts serves as a metaphor for giving her stories new life. These buried tales grow like seeds, illustrating that sometimes letting go can lead to rebirth and renewal. This central metaphor about storytelling is intricately woven into the novel, highlighting Alvarez’s skill in combining lyrical beauty with concrete precision.
Vivid Characters and Symbolic Exile
Two characters stand out in this multifaceted meditation: Alma’s father, Papi, a doctor-turned-dissident who avoids talking about the past, and Bienvenida, a fictionalized version of the wife of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Both share a sense of exile—one erased from history, the other sealed off from it. Alma feels drawn to these silenced characters, reflecting the novel’s broader themes of suppressed voices and lost narratives.
In ‘The Cemetery of Untold Stories,’ Julia Alvarez has crafted a triumph, a magical exploration of creativity, culture, and aging that resonates deeply with readers.
