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Demons

I completed another book.

But the book is beautiful and sad. The books "Of love and other demons" by Marquez is quite disturbing.

The story is from 19th century and revolves around the life of 12 year old daughter of a land-load (Marquis) - Sierva.  Her father the Marquis is fearful person and lives in his own world. Her mother Bernarda is a nymphomaniac and detests her daughter from birth.

Sierva  lives with the slaves and learns from them multiple African languages, and their customs.

One day a rabid dog bites her in local market. Her father starts worrying about her and takes her to a local doctor who says she is not having any symptoms of rabies. There was no cure for rabies then.

Marquis takes Sierva to a convent in Santa Clara for exorcising. She is locked in a prison there and is bound to her bed by straps.

Father Cayetano who comes to exorcise her falls in love with her and starts visiting her secretly every night. One day he is caught and is punished. His punishment was to work in a leper hospital.

Sierva does not know all these and keeps wondering why Cayetano never came. The torture she goes through makes us want to cry, they shave her beautiful hair and continue exorcism. Finally she dies of love for Cayetano. After her death her hair grows back.

At least in modern world, these practices are no longer followed and innocent people are not murdered in the name of "demon"s.


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