The Biblio Blogazine

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Magical Realism, 246 pages (Hardcover edition)
Spanish Edition (1989)
English Translation (1992)
Random House, Inc.

 Like Water for Chocolate’s full title is, Like Water for Hot Chocolate: A novel in monthly installments with recipes, romances and home remedies. However it is much more than a “diary” recounting the life of a beloved aunt.

This book is about relationships: those between a family of women and the challenges borne out of sibling love and rivalry; those affected by a family tradition that is the catalyst for rebellion; and of those between women and the men who pass through their lives.

The setting plays an important part in Esquivel’s narrative, as it mirrors the lives of her characters. It is turn-of-the-century Mexico. A time of revolution and change. Not only in politics, but in the culture as well. This is clear to see within the family of the De La Garza women as the story moves along from one generation to the next: How they, and the times change, some adapting – some not.

When I first saw the film, I misunderstood the title and its meaning. Not until studying the Spanish language did I realize the error. It was my “Ah ha!” moment. The story, the metaphors, the beauty of it all became so much clearer, and I was thrilled to finally “get it”. I decided then and there to get the book and read it. I am so glad I did.

The phrase is common in many Spanish-speaking countries and in this book, it applies to those people or emotions (such as anger and passion) that are so extreme, they are close to reaching a point where they are about to “boil over”.

The steam rising from the pan mingled with the heat given off by Tita’s body. The anger she felt within her acted like yeast on bread dough. She felt its rapid rising, flowing into every last recess of her body, like yeast in a small bowl, it spilled over to the outside, escaping in the form of steam through her ears, nose, and all her pores.

I can nearly count on one hand the number of books adapted as well as this. Of course Esquivel wrote the screenplay, which helped. However, it remained with the director and the actors to bring to life the story as the author intended, and they did it well.

Deciding on which rating this story deserves has been extremely difficult. I love the book. I love the story. However the translation is an issue albeit a small one. Compared to others such as The Shadow of the Wind, this one comes up a little short as sometimes the flow runs a little less smooth than it should. Still, I cannot get over the amount of depth and beauty in this book.

Laura Esquivel’s novel Like Water for Chocolate has sold more than four and a half million copies around the world in thirty-five languages. She has also written Malinche, Swift as Desire, The Law of Love, and Between Two Fires.