"No. Hoy no. Mañana. Tengo que ir a ver mis novelas," I heard as I was walking through Big 5 Sporting Goods in Chino. I turned to see a man trailing behind his aggressive wife, defeated upon hearing her plan and wrecking whatever his was.
What is with obsesion de novelas? People will put their lives on hold completely (and their spouse's) just to have an hour of fantasy. Sure, people argue that television is an escape from reality. But who's reality is so horrible that they'd prefer to watch women with double d's throwing painfully obvious fake punches, betraying their husbands with their best friend's cousin's step-brother. The point is probably that novelas pull the viewer so far away from the mondane, it becomes addicting.
Don't discriminate; men watch too. 80 year old men. A Nicaraguan native, Mr. Ben Lacayo could list off all of "his" novelas.(yes, the Spanish speakers refer to them as "Mis novelas" or "my novelas," another sign of intimacy,standing for posession, making them feel that much closer to their nightly outlet.) "Veo La Tormenta,El Amor Es Para Siempre...me gustan las novelas venezolanas/I love Venezuelan novelas," he said. "So you and your wife have a good time watching them together?" I asked. "No. She has her own novelas. We don't have the same tastes." I couldn't say anything after that.
It's true, it depends on the country. Venezuelan novelas may have more storyline than the overly shallow Mexican ones, as do the Colombian ones. If I had to choose, I'd say the Brazilian novelas often set as Period pieces beat them all, for their beautiful scenery, and costumes, and beautiful actors and actresses. Uh-oh.I guess I may have some novelera in me after all.
