Week 12: My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel
This week I read My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel and I have to say I enjoyed it, but it was not one of my favourites from the term so far. Even though this was considered a shorter read’, 170 pages still felt like a lot for me this week on top of my other classes. But I certainly appreciated the unique approach this novel took to cover important themes. This book brought themes of sexuality and identity, politics and activism and love and relationships to life. What was most intriguing for me throughout the novel was one of the main characters (whose name we never really learn), the Queen. This character shines a light on the struggles and obstacles of being someone who does not fully identify as a man or woman. We learn a lot about this character through her relationship with Carlos who is a university student. The queen is so completely in love with this man, however, it seems that his relationship with her gears more to when it's convenient for him. As mentioned in the lectu...