Christina Diaz Gonzalez‘s second novel, A Thunderous Whisper, brings us to Guernica, Spain. Here we meet 12 year old Ani, a quiet, insignificant whisper of a girl who lives on the periphery of society, daughter of a sardine seller. Ani’s father has gone to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War to fight against General Franco’s forces, hoping to protect the Basque homeland from impending seizure. Left with her cold-hearted, harsh mother, Ani’s life has never felt more bleak and lonely.
Then she meets a boy, Mathias, who is spirited, sure of himself, and interested in being her friend. Mathias is new to Guernica and he doesn’t realize that he should shun Ani like all the other kids in town. But Ani’s family business doesn’t dissuade Mathias from enlisting her help in his plan to help the Basque Nationalists: Mathias’ father is part of a spy network and soon Mathias and Ani are delivering messages to other members of the underground resistance. For Ani, having a friend and feeling like she’s making a difference in the world, reinvigorates her spirit and gives her something she’s been missing since her father left to fight: hope.
The war, however, doesn’t spare Ani, Mathias or their beloved Guernica, and in one spring afternoon, their entire world is destroyed. Crawling from the destruction, the survivors must face terrible losses, both personal and communal. Not wanting to lose her chance to do something, Ani digs deep within herself to draw on a sense of strength and maturity that she never knew she had. Realizing she is not insignificant or alone, Ani turns a determined spirit and a brave face towards an uncertain future.
As in The Red Umbrella, Gonzalez has created in Ani a memorable heroine, an uplifting story of resilience, and a carefully drawn portrait of a place and time just on the edge of memory. Gonzaelz skillfully recreates the uncertainty and fear of the times her characters inhabit while simultaneously empowering her story with the ferocity of the love of new-found friends and “families”, who are cobbled together, not only by tragedy, but also by hope and the will to survive.
- Posted by Cori