‘HIJ’ VERSUS ‘ZIJ’: CONTRASTEN, PARALLELLEN EN BEELDSPRAAK IN LAIA FÀBREGAS’ LANDEN (2010)

In this article I shall show how deftly Fàbregas creates in her novel Landen two separate but thematically connected stories and leads them to a very satisfying and totally unexpected ending. Landen is an intriguing psychological novel where the two main characters, Him and Her, tell, in alternating chapters, their own story in the first person. They only meet once, in the first chapter, where the Him character dies. I shall first look at the main characters’ life experiences, i.e. the car accident in which the Her character loses her parents and the experiences of the Him character as an emigrant and later as a widower. I shall then describe the contrasting attitudes they each adopt and look at parallels between both narratives. Finally, I shall give an interpretation of the imagery as a link that also enhances the contrast between the characters.