Juan Carlos is dead from tuberculosis. The personality of Carlos is displayed through interviews, letters, magazine reports, and witness accounts. Juan Carlos is depicted as a serial philanderer who seduces many women in the neighborhood. Nene is one of the women who were seduced by Carlos. At some point, Nene writes letters to Carlos’ mother detailing the unfulfilled passion for him. In these letters, the characters in the book remember the life of Juan Carlos as a womanizer. However, his wife, Elsa DiCarlo, remembers him as a sad consumptive partner, who she took care of during the last days.
The women characters displayed in this novel seem to be desperate for love. Most of these characters try to find happiness and fulfillment through the love of a deceased person. For instance, Nene is still writing letters to Carlos’ mother ten years after the two became intimate. Obliviousness and self-deception are words that can describe these female characters. Most of them live through fantasies. Such characters who are emotionally attached to Carlos seem to have lost touch with reality. Carlos was a consumptive and self-indulgent fellow with spoiled hopes.
The book is a heartfelt pastiche of jealousy as observed when Celina, Carlos’ sister sent letters to Nene’s husband. Celina has been replying to Nene’s letter on behalf of her mother. Carlos’ sister is jealous because she wants to ruin Nene’s marriage. She sends letters to Nene’s husband so that he can send her away. However, Nene’s husband orders for the burn of the letters. That shows he loves his wife unconditionally.
