Aura

Though Carlos Fuentes’ novel Aura is presented as a second person narrative, this stood out to me the most in the first chapter. The way it is written, as a reader I was surprised to find myself being drawn into Felipe’s world and curious about the nature of the job advertisement. This writing style captured the sentiment that the job description was crafted specifically for him because the reader was able to note his candid reaction to the listing as he went about his day. As the story progresses, though I was unable to relate to Felipe’s character and experiences, I was still able to remain engaged with the story and plotline as if I was a distant observer, which I credit partially to the extensive second person usage of “you.” I also found it interesting how Montero could not get Aura out of his head. His futile attempts seemingly only bring him in closer and fuel his obsession with her.