Useless Information? I think not.

Aura was an interesting novella to say the least. I was able to finish it in one sitting- no, not because it had such large margins and we only had to read one side of the book- because I found it so enjoyable. I never read a book that was in second person and I was always on my toes wondering what would happen next in this strange house. I think the book was so interesting also because of the seemingly unimportant information the author provided.

            Fuentes takes a daily activity like waiting for the bus and makes it more interesting by making it more personal. "The bus is coming now...You've got to be prepared. You...search among the coins, and finally take out thirty centavos. You've got to be prepared." (7). The 'you' automatically creates a bond between us and the character, but these sentences also allow us to experience what Felipe is feeling. As readers, we now know that is the type of person who plans ahead of time with all of his actions and has a very calculative mind.

            Later, when Felipe arrives at the house, the description foreshadows the dangers ahead. "The door opens at the first push of your fingers, but before going in you give a last look over your shoulder...You try to retain some single image of that indifferent outside world" (11). Without even realizing it, as I was reading this paragraph I was getting more nervous. Why would someone reminiscently look back at the real world unless they knew they were not going to return?