Boulder means a large rock, typically one that has been worn smooth by erosion. Eva Baltasar’s Boulder features an unnamed protagonist, a woman who is called “Boulder” by her lover. The title metaphorically gives away the central theme of the novel. Like a large boulder, Baltasar’s central character, who is a cook on a ship, is also independent, immovable and obstinate. She wishes to live a life away from the intricacies and liaisons of domesticity. Yet she falls in love with a geologist named Samsa and moves to Reykjavik, Iceland, from South America.
Boulder’s static nature is then challenged by the responsibilities and stipulations of domestic life, which in turn creates a ground-breaking turn in the dynamics of her relationship with Samsa. Baltasar says that she was driven to write Boulder because she was fixated on the idea of getting to know a woman, through literature, who could embody a boulder; a woman like that isolated, solitary rock. At the beginning, Samsa and Boulder’s relationship is driven by an intense, all-consuming love and a fierce passion for each other. But once the entanglements of a family and the inexplicable desire for motherhood set in, they begin to struggle.
Boulder’s reluctance to fully give in to the expectations of the new life creates rifts among them, which strains their relationship with each other. The novella is told entirely from the perspective of Boulder, but Samsa’s dilemma isn’t ignored. It doesn’t tend to villainise anyone, but instead highlights how difficult choices and different desires could be a destructive force in a nuanced way. Both of them are flawed and fail to identify and acknowledge each other’s freedom and changing desires. Thus, the relationship itself becomes a large boulder, solidified and unmovable; an obstacle that prevents them from moving on in life.
The story is sad and tragic, yet so visceral, offering a compelling and unflinching portrayal of queer love tested by expectations of a traditional heteronormative society. The story drifts like a verse, with a rare lyrical quality and a feral energy, articulating raw and intense emotion that won’t sit well with the readers, thus creating an unsettling and startling conflict within. Julia Sanches’ translation effortlessly retains this persuasive quality, making Boulder stand out as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
Book Review: A Grain of Sand by Narendra Murty
