Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esqivel
Like Water for Chocolate is of the genre magical realism, that is common in books written in Latin and South American. The author is from Mexico and the setting is in a small rural Mexican town in 1910 to 1920 during the Mexican Revolution.
The story is told from the point of view of Tita, the youngest daughter of Elena who is a traditional, rigid and very selfish woman. Tita falls in love with Pedro and he with her. When he tells Mama Elena that he wants to marry Tita, her mother flies into a rage and refuses to allow it. The reason being that Tita is the youngest daughter will never be allowed to marry because her destiny is to stay with her mother and take of her in her old age. But Elena tells Pedro he can marry Rosaura who Tia’s older sister. Pedro agrees only so he can live in the same house as Tita. The oldest daughter, Gertrudis, has a love affair with Jose Trevino, runs off with Captain Alejandrez. She ends up working in a brothel and we don’t see her again until later in the book.
Every chapter begins with a recipe. Tita loves to cook and her fondest memories of her young childhood are of the warmth and delicious smells in the kitchen. She is the cooks helper and eventually as she grows, she takes on all of the cooking resposibilities. Her cooking is infused with magic and can often make people laugh or cry by simply breathing in the fragrance of her dishes. The title water for chocolate comes from the Spanish phrase como agua para chocolate, which means that one’s emotions are on the verge of boiling over.
At first Tita is furious and sad that she cannot marry Pedro, and that he agrees to marry Rosaura. She cries so much that her tears fall in her cooking and the fragrance causes everyone nearby to cry. Pedro said he is only marrying Rosaura so he can be close to Tita. The story continues throughout their lives with the backdrop of the Mexican civil war. Always Pedro and Tita are near each other, but separated. Many ups and downs as the war spreads throughout the region. Rosaura, Pedro, and their son Roberto who Tita ends up caring for as if he were her own son.
The civil war continues. Mama Elena fearing the danger that the war is causing she decides that Pedro, Rosaura and their baby Roberto must move to San Antonio, Texas where its safe and there are good doctors for little Roberto. Tita is overwhelmed with sadness by the loss of Pedro and Roberto from her life. She can’t accept that the baby she has been loving and caring for has gone.
During the next few years the women experience raids on their home by the Army week and the rebels the next. But they get through it by Mama Elena’s strength and determination. Eventually, things settle down and Tita meets Dr. John. He falls in love with her, and she plans to marry him, but Mama Elena refuses to allow it. Eventually Rosaua and Pedro return and the triangle forms again.
This book is so rich in imagery. You can just smell and taste the delicious food Tita prepares. The story ends well and is very satisfying. I really loved the atmosphere of the story. I cried for Tita. The story of their ranch was magical with descriptions of all the plants, the flowers and the animals. The characters were distinct and vivid. The writing is beautiful. I recommend this novel