Finally

            I was wondering when we would get into the world of magical realism. For those of you not familiar with this genre, it is when the literature includes magical and stunning events that would be met with shock in real life, but in the novel are accepted into the characters’ reality. Throughout Aura, I felt as if Felipe should be running away screaming from this odd dark house where its inhabitants act as though they are mirrors of each other. When Felipe discovers what seems to be a magical doll under his napkin, he does not question why it is there. He simply strokes it until he realizes it seems to be having a hypnotizing effect on him. He’s not stunned by this, even though he does immediately throw the doll away. However, this does seem to be a tad different from standard magical realism, because Felipe does try to deny what is happening to him. He denies it so much that when it is finally revealed that Aura is a projection of the past and he is to help create her again, he has already accepted this as reality subconsciously. This is what makes it magical realism, this acceptance. The denial is not usually associated with magical realism that I have read, but that is what makes this book so interesting. The reader travels along with Felipe in his discovery of the magic of Senora Consuela’s household, especially because of the second person narrative that collapses the distance between the reader and the characters. This journey that the characters and readers take together allow the readers to have the same experience as Felipe, so when he gives up his denial and accepts the life that he is now living, the reader accepts it too, even though it is fantastical.