Book Review: The Hour of the Star, or A hora da estrela

The Hour of the Star, or A hora da estrela

By by Clarice Lispector

Review By Isabel Jordan

The name might be unfamiliar to many readers in the United States, but Clarice Lispector is a giant in South American literature. Born in Ukraine and raised in Brazil, Clarice became one of the most influential voices of her generation. When I was growing up, I wanted nothing to do with her books. Clarice was “my mom’s thing.” My mom was obsessed with her, especially the poetry. But as I got older, curiosity started to tug at me. What was it about this woman that inspired such devotion? Why did everyone love Clarice? So I finally asked my mom: “Where should I start?” She didn’t hesitate: A Hora da Estrela. It was Clarice’s final work, published in 1977 just before her death. The book is extraordinary—quietly devastating, beautifully strange, and full of the unmistakable pulse of Clarice’s mind. Through it, I found the answer to my question; Her work is so loved because it is enigmatic and disarmingly honest. She moves through introspection like someone walking through their own shadow, unafraid of what she might find. She writes about fear, acceptance, invisibility, and the small, aching miracles of being alive. Her reflections on the possibility of vanishing from the world touched me in ways I didn’t expect. Reading her, I felt connected to my mother, to myself, and to a lineage of women who carry darkness, imperfection, irony, love, and suffering with a kind of fierce grace.

Now I understand why everyone loves her. I hope you do too!