The Plimsoll line

Gracia Armendáriz, Juan

X Premio Tiflos de Novela, 2008

"The cat narrows its eyes when it sees the man lean against the window frame, overcome by a fit of sobbing that has nothing to do with sadness, or sorrow, but with an internal crumbling, like the collapse of a wave breaking on the shore of his skin and sweeping away his memory."
Gabriel Ariz is an art professor relentlessly pursued by misfortune—his only daughter dies in a traffic accident, his wife decides to divorce him, and on top of it all, he is diagnosed with a severe kidney disease that will put him into unending hemodialysis sessions and force him to quit his job at the university.
Solitude, illness, failure, and the will to carry on despite it all are themes central to Gabriel’s account of his experience—a quest for survival and a coming to terms with oneself. The Plimsoll Line is an homage to resilience and love of life