Complexity in Second Person: How the Narrator, or Narrative Voice, of Aura Is Deceptively Straightforward Rachel Mumford College

Aura is a novel that explores the corporeality of aging, the eternal nature of desire and the struggle against mortality. What strikes the reader from the outset is the second person narrative in the present tense, a stylistic choice that is known to have a number of effects on both the narrative and the reactions of the reader. The narrative voice of the novella, which the reader takes to be that of the protagonist, Felipe Montero, appears to be relatively uncomplicated and linear. After all, the present tense means that the reader can follow the action without difficulty and the familiar ‘tú’ form has the effect of heightening the intimacy of the reading experience to a degree impossible in other narrative modes. However, upon reflection it becomes evident that the narrative voice is much more complex and deviating than originally thought.

Far from being straightforward, the narrative voice could be seen to act a key, or at least a suggestion, towards resolving one of the great questions that is left unanswered by the plot: how the reader should understand the eerie identity of Felipe and General Llorante. The reader is effectively told they have become, or always were, the same person; ‘Tapas con una mano la barba blanca del...