I'm a Box

Written by Natalia Carrero

Narrated by Arielle DeLisle

Nadila is a writer who believes blindly in the redemptive power of literature. In her search for her own voice, she sets to work studying the complete oeuvre of Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector. As if trying different styles in front of a mirror, the protagonist, who can’t quite figure out who she is or what she has to say, measures herself against the formidably seductive Clarice: she reads her books, copies her style, searches for her, and even ventures with her to the boundaries between imagination and reality. I’m a Box is a 21st century novel about the adventure of imaginative discovery (one detail at a time).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Translator: Johanna Warren
• Release date: Oct 16, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469243306

Natalia Carrero

Natalia Carrero was born in Barcelona in 1970. She studied philosophy and worked as a jack-of-all-trades for a literary agency. When she moved to Madrid, where she now lives with her family, she added writing to her diverse workload. I’m a Box is her first novel.

Reviews for I'm a Box

[ptdilloway-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A creepy ode to Clarice Lispector, who would probably wish this book had stayed in a box.

[perednia_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

An earnest, inquisitive young woman discovers the works of Brazilian writer Clarice Lespector and tries to become her biggest fan girl in this debut work of fiction. The text itself shies away from calling this a novel and that's an honest assessment. There is no narrative structure, no plot, no conflict outside young Nadila's wishes to be a writer as good as her role model.In the closing pages, another reason for seeking kinship with the writer is revealed but, as with everything else in this work, nothing comes from it.And that appears to be the biggest flaw here. Just writing that someone is important to you and quoting from that person doesn't carry much weight. The narrator says she has learned more about herself from the experience of doing this writing, but what that was remains abstract. Lespector wrote abstract pieces herself, in addition to journalistic pieces, but the allure of her work isn't made clear in I'm a Box.Communicating how she has grown in self-knowledge, and what that might mean to her future, or communicating why Lespector should be read today would have made for a successful work. What is communicated is the earnestness and sincerity of the writer's quest, but the results of that quest remain out of reach.