THE REALM OF THE HUNGRY SPIRITS was a blend of religion,
culture, and concepts. I thought that author Lorraine Lopez
did an excellent job of meshing all aspects of American
life, especially that of living in San Fernando Valley. I
loved the blend of languages that
she used throughout the story. The way that Lopez portrayed
religion was also unique. The main character, Marina
Lucero, comes from a mix of religions in her younger days
and is struggling to find her way through different beliefs
and ideas. The story also portrays life in most
neighborhoods well. We all have that neighbor that seems to
have the whole family shacked up with them. We all have the
drunks down the street and some of us even have the wife
beater next door, who we struggle to understand and help.
As a setting this story was very easy to relate to. THE
REALM OF THE HUNGRY SPIRITS is a book about everyday life
and the hungry spirits that almost seem to invade our very
lives.
Marina Lucero is a collector. Where some
people have plates, figurines, and newspapers; Marina is
collecting people. Her home has become overrun with other
people; people in need of Marina's hospitality and cooking,
and a roof over their heads. While Marina is struggling to
find her faith in life, she continually finds herself
helping those in need. Now her home is no longer her
sanctuary and one trouble after another seems to be
haunting the people around her. From the wayward nephew who
got kicked out of her sister's house, to another sister's
ex-boyfriend, the abused woman from next door, or her
alcoholic sister; Marina has reached her maximum capacity.
As a teacher of English language learners, Marina has more
than enough on her plate to keep her busy. With all the
problems outside of the classroom, Marina has turned her
focus to faith and religion. Marina has been rapidly
absorbing anything from
Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and a "priest" who is trying to
cleanse her home. However, Marina finds that it is getting
harder and harder to find her inner peace amongst the chaos
that has become her life. As Marina continues to struggle
with her unwanted roommates she discovers that it is the
little things that matter and finding joy in the disaster
seems to be the only way to truly be happy.
I really enjoyed the setting and the atmosphere of this
book. However I did find the story to be a little slow in
parts. I thought that the story was too much like life in
the way that it did not have any direct plot or action
taking place. It was more a story of self-discovery and
learning to handle life's everyday nonsense. Overall, I
enjoyed the story and the journey that Marina embarked
upon.
In Buddhism, there is a place where hungry souls gather
between livesawaiting rebirth so they can finally
satisfy the desires that haunt them.
In the San
Fernando Valley, that place is Marina Lucero's
house.
THE REALM OF HUNGRY
SPIRITS
For Marina Lucero, whose father
transformed his life through meditation and whose mother
gave hers to a Carmelite convent, spirituality should come
easily. It doesn't. After a devastating relationship leaves
her feeling lost and alone, she opens her home to a
collection of wayward souls— the abused woman next door and
her alcoholic sister, her aimless nephew and his
broken-hearted best friend. Her house now full but her heart
still empty, Marina then turns to the wisdom of Gandhi, the
Dalai Lama, even a Santeria priest who wants to cleanse her
home.
As Marina struggles to balance the
disappointments and delights of daily life, she'll learn
that, when it comes to inner peace and those we love, a
little chaos can lead to a lot of happiness.
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