The Valencian writer Mila Martinez has just published 22 (Egales), a novel about the existence of destiny, coincidences or to what extent we are free. Mila Martínez is the author of a series made up of: I'm not going to apologize (2009), behind the wall (2010), Self-portrait with sea in the background (2011), The Phoenician dagger, (2013, awarded the Arena Foundation Prize for LGTBQ narrative in its VIII edition) y Return to Eternal, (2018). with the story “without touching you” participated in the anthology Where you can't love, don't delay (2016). He has also collaborated on the anthology Every day I like you more (2016), with the story “Paladares”. His latest novels are My nights in the Ideal Room (2016), The Essence (2017) y 22 (2019).
Once again you place your novel in a real setting, in this case, in Valencia. Emblematic streets and neighborhoods are mentioned such as Blasco Ibáñez Avenue, the promenade, the cold, Nazareth or Cabanyal. There is also a nod to Albarracín, of the Other, again, and to a place in L'Eliana. Tell us about this argumentative decision and those two winks, perhaps opening the novel to readers of your previous ones or of that blog where you keep your fictional characters alive..
I think that when a person creates stories and lives and places them in existing scenarios, The narrative force is multiplied by giving readers the opportunity to place themselves more realistically in these scenarios., to make the action more believable. The environments in which I place 22, and also other of my novels, They are usually environments that I know very well, that are near and dear to me. It is no coincidence that I chose them. Just as it is not casual to give small gifts to the people who read me., incorporating places that they can identify in other novels.
One of the pillars of this novel, what brings together the main characters, It is a scientific investigation that will take place in a doctor's house.. Curiously, in August and, more curiously, paid. Two circumstances that give a lot of play: In August, almost every neighbor's child wants vacations and not to hit the water (double wink), and a paid experiment sounds like a panacea for what our concept of Spanish research is.. Comment on it.
The fact of having chosen the month of August meant an additional level of difficulty in bringing together a group of people willing to work together and, at the same time, It allowed me to emphasize the importance of the force of destiny, who manages to get them together despite that handicap. The paid thing, Of course, It is something utopian within reality, but we weren't going to make it so difficult for fate either.…
Laziness was the worm of love, We read. Because in addition to the adventure part, of mystery, suspenseful, there is love. And a lot. Delve if you want into that romantic part of 22 without which the end would not be reached as we read it..
Indeed, I wanted to talk about some things in this novel and I was interested, first of all, deepen human relationships in extreme circumstances. I wanted to delve into people's reactions when faced with critical moments, in the possibility of special ties being born and, why not, discover new feelings. in the novel, as you already know, there are love stories. and one of them, possibly the most endearing, does not involve a sexual relationship, which does not mean that it is not absolutely profound and special.
Participating in the scientific research proposed in the novel, we read, could open a door to hope for one of the characters.. Actually, to more than one. “when you wait for something, the days become eternal”, Francesca comments to Andrea. I think it's one of the themes the novel deals with., hope, faith, self-confidence and knowing how to read the signs of destiny as well as whether or not it governs our actions. Can you talk to us about these core themes of 22?
One of the great protagonists of 22, indeed, it's destiny. In this novel I wanted to raise the doubt about the existence of freedom, of free will. I wanted to induce us to think about whether we are really free or there is some kind of system that conditions us and takes us along unsuspected paths.. And also bring a little magic to this complicated life that we have built for ourselves., in which there is little time or space left to believe in what cannot be seen. On the other hand, I wanted to convey the idea that each person, in itself, is special. We each have a virtue, a “something” that makes us different. I want to value that difference.
Finally, Tell us if you think that destiny is written for everyone and if you can escape from it in some way. Perhaps there is a collective power that is stronger than the individual as we see in 22.
That is the great question that human beings have been asking themselves since the beginning of self-awareness.. I could hardly answer it. I believe that each of us has an intimate answer to this question that we jealously guard inside us.. What has been proven is that consciousness and collective action transform the world. If we unite in the right direction we can make this world better.. Just what happens in 22.
