The People Of Paper Paperback – Illustrated, November 13, 2006

This is a defiant novel. It defies standard form. It defies standard plot. And the characters even defy the novelist when they develop an antagonistic relationship with Plascencia and his role in their lives.If this sounds odd, it is. This is a very odd book. But here's the thing: this novel also defies any expectation you might bring to it. It can be classified as post-modern as it is full of self-reference, but where so many post-modern novels feel cold and distant, THE PEOPLE OF THE PAPER is full of warmth and deep emotion. Plascencia weaves the fantastic with the absurd with the humorous with the heartfelt to create a portrayal of the human condition that is at once universal and unique.I read this novel seven years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. Indeed, it has haunted me, its imagery and emotional heft coming back to me again and again. I read a lot of novels but few have such a lasting effect. I don't know of a higher praise for a book.

he People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia is a novel that is in no way easy to categorize. According to Plascencia, the novel is “a war-novel, a memoir, it’s about immigration, it’s a meta-fiction, and it’s a love-story.” The heart of the novel is built around Federico de la Fe and his daughter, Little Merced, who leave Mexico for the United States after Federico’s wife, Merced, leaves him. Once in the U.S., Federico bands together with the locals, forming a group called the EMF who wage a war “against Saturn, against sadness, and against omniscient narration.” The novel is written in three sections, each including several chapters. Each chapter enlists the perspectives of a variety of characters, including Saturn, the omniscient narrator. The pages are laid out in columns, and, at one point, words are blacked out or, in certain editions, are cut from the page. The narrator himself makes an appearance as well. Weird in plot, characterization, genre, organization, and style, I cannot think of a book stranger and more exciting than The People of Paper.

What an amazing book, but what sadness I feel knowing that a lot of people (not of paper but of meat) will never be exposed to it. It is this feeling what often takes me from thinking 'this is a good book' all the way to 'this is excellent.' The genres it is usually catalogued under run from Latin to Experimental, but I'm here to say that it should just be under Excellent Fiction. The author has a creative genius that transcends geography and time and returns the novel to what it should be, something new and fresh - the word novel should, after all, stand for something. All the praises to this book, one that I'll be happy to recommend to anyone looking for original literary and emotional research.

I love Plascencia's metafictive writing style. His approach is so different from the traditional metafiction and so less, for lack of a better word, douchy. His imagination is wild and creative and bold. His sense of culture both American and Mexican and Mexican-American (Chicano) is steep and he is able to give a history, anthropology and sociology class all in a few hundred pages. Not to mention his stimulation of all the senses keeps you interested throughout the book. My only regret was not buying the hardcopy version, as it has actual pages with cut out sections and neat intricacies that the paperback version lacks. All in all, a great read for anyone who is trying to find inspiration into their own imagination.

I just finished this book. I also had a shot of rum, a shot of amaretto, and a glass of red wine, so let's see how this review goes!All in all I hated this book. Okay, it wasn't that bad. The more I think of this book, the more I can see the good qualities. Let's start with the good.This is a book about sadness. Sadness sells! Look at Toni Morrison and Amy Tan. Both authors sell books of sadness. Perhaps Plascencia is too in your face though. He uses the word 'sadness' over and over. Way to be discreet!There is magical realism. That sounds like a super interesting topic. We have our world and we have magic! Woohoo! When you think about it, the magic in the book is like the magic in the Bible: plagues, resurrections, creation of a new race. The People of Paper is heavily inspired by the Bible. Unfortunately, it feels just weird. People who burn their flesh with kerosene so they stop peeing in bed? People who grabs bees and purposefully sting themselves to remove depression? So weird...And that's not even the weirdest part! People decide to war against the planet Saturn! It makes no sense! How do you war against a planet? I do not understand...Perhaps this is allegory, and you have to be profound to get it. Unfortunately I am not getting it. Yes, I know who Saturn is. The book reveals it halfway through. But I still feel like the war is pointless. Is that the point? The pointlessness of war? If so...The book just made a very large circle to make that point...All in all I hated it. Okay...I didn't hate it, but The People of Paper is a solid 3 stars. It was okay. Parts were funny, parts were tedious, parts were creative, and parts made zero sense. Perhaps I am simply not a fan of Plascencia's writing style. I do not regret reading it, but I probably would not have finished it if it weren't the book chosen for our book club.Oh yeah! This is the 8th book of our book club.