The Sleepy Voice: A Story of Resilience
The Sleepy Voice
Characters
Pepita
Pepita is a Cordovan woman with striking blue eyes and blonde hair. Initially called Pepa, she reverted to Pepita, her childhood nickname, upon discovering that “La Pepa” in prison was slang for the death penalty. Hortense’s sister, Pepita cared for Tensi throughout her life. She waited many years for Jaime, whom she deeply loved, and finally married him after twenty years. While hesitant to join the Communist Party due to its inherent risks, she actively participated in its activities, primarily for Jaime’s sake. Pepita is a strong and brave woman, though she may not see herself that way.
Jaime Alcántara
Jaime Alcántara, formerly known as Paulino, is the leader of a black jacket guerrilla group and Elvira’s brother. He carries the guilt of not helping Elvira escape from Alicante, where she was captured. Jaime loves Pepita and often avoids contacting her to protect her from danger. He repeatedly questions if she truly wants to wait for him, recognizing the potential waste of her youth. Captured and sentenced to thirty years for his black jacket affiliation, he serves nineteen years before being released through an amnesty following the Pope’s death. At the novel’s end, as he leaves for Cordoba with Pepita, he carries the Communist Party leadership of Cordoba in his pocket, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to his principles and ideals despite years of suffering.
Daisy
Daisy, Felipe’s wife, loved him deeply. She had dark, curly hair styled in braids, brown eyes, and slightly separated teeth. Imprisoned for collaborating with the guerrillas, she faced a death sentence while pregnant. Thanks to Pepita’s intervention, her execution was delayed until after the birth of her child. Tragically, she was shot when her baby was only a month and a half old. Dona Celia washed her face, closed her eyes, and cut a piece of her dress to give to Pepita. Daisy was brave and actively fought for her ideals despite her pregnancy.
Mateo Bejarano
Mateo Bejarano, formerly Felipe, loved Daisy above all else and affectionately called her Tensi. He deeply believed in his ideals and returned from Toulouse with Jaime to continue the fight within Spain, risking capture. He was killed by the Civil Guard during a surprise attack on their camp.
Elvira
Elvira, a redhead with a long braid that her brother loved to tease her with, was only sixteen when she escaped prison with the help of her brother, Mateo, and joined the guerrilla army. She changed her name to Celia in memory of her grandmother and Celia Gámez. Entering prison as a child, she emerged as a woman. On the day Mateo was killed, she fell in love with Peque, another guerrilla member. They were separated for ten years and believed each other dead. They reunited in Prague, unaware of each other’s survival, and eventually married, continuing their involvement with the Communist Party.
Tomasa
Tomasa endured immense loss, including her children, granddaughter, and husband, who sacrificed his life to shield her. All were shot, except her granddaughter, who died of hunger before being thrown into the Tajo River. This fueled her desire to see the sea, believing that everything carried by the river eventually reaches it. In prison, she was known for her defiance and spent time in solitary confinement. Alongside Reme, she orchestrated a clever act of resistance. Feigning mange and receiving a yellow jersey after treatment, she joined Reme, who wore red and purple jerseys on the anniversary of the Republic’s establishment. Together, they walked through the prison yard carrying the Republican banner, symbolized by their colorful attire. For years, Tomasa refused to mourn her loved ones or share her story, feeling isolated as the only remaining member of her former group in prison.
Reme
Reme was imprisoned for sewing a Republican flag. Married to Benjamin, she had three daughters and a late-born son. Unlike Tomasa, she consistently received letters and packages. Upon her release, she sent fortnightly letters and packages to Tomasa, whom she considered a sister. Reme returned to her village with Tomasa and her husband after her release. Her son had died, and her daughters were married.
Sole
Sole, a midwife, assisted with Tensi’s birth. She was imprisoned for her affiliation with the Communist Party. Tomasa kept her alive by feeding her through a tube while she was in solitary confinement. With the help of Jaime and Mateo, Sole escaped. Her daughter, Amalia, procured new documents and helped them flee to Toulouse. Sole and Amalia went to France and later exiled to Mexico, where they remained active in the Communist Party.
Dona Celia
Dona Celia, the owner of the pension where Pepita lived in Atocha, lost her daughter, Almudena, who was shot by Falangists. Every morning, she and her niece, Isabel, visited the cemetery and hid in a vault, waiting for the prisoners to be shot. They would then emerge and cut pieces of cloth from the victims’ clothing to show to waiting relatives, informing them whether their loved ones had been executed that day.
Don Gerardo
Don Gerardo, Dona Celia’s husband, was imprisoned for many years in Burgos, where he shared a cell with Jaime. Upon his release, he returned to his wife and continued running the pension.
Tensi
Tensi, Hortense’s daughter, only spent the first month of her life with her mother and never knew her father. She grew up reading her mother’s books and, despite her aunt’s (whom she considered her mother) attempts to shield her from politics, became interested and eventually joined the Communist Party. Blonde and blue-eyed, she physically resembled Pepita more than Daisy, but her ideals aligned with her parents’.
Don Javier
Don Javier, the grandfather of Paulino and Elvira, was their only family. Imprisoned in Pamplona, he was visited by his granddaughter when she moved to Madrid. After her escape, he ensured Jaime’s safe return to their city. He died of pneumonia while Jaime was serving his sentence in Burgos.
Don Fernando
Don Fernando, a doctor, abandoned medicine after witnessing a murder without intervening. He became an accountant at a silverware company. His wife, unable to forgive him, lived separately. Pepita worked in their home, and when she was taken to the Interior Ministry, Don Fernando was asked to retrieve her. In return, he accepted a position as a prison doctor for Sales. His wife returned to him, and Pepita was dismissed. Don Fernando only went to the Interior Ministry to speak with Pepita and could not reveal her name, as he knew about the black jacket. Years later, he offered Pepita a bribe when Jaime was imprisoned, and she visited him, solely to protect himself.
The Poison
The Poison, Sister Mary of the Angels, ruled the prison in Las Ventas with an iron fist. Feared by many, she was cruel and heartless. After Sole and Elvira’s escape, she sent the shoes to Malaga.
The Shoes
The Shoes, a police officer responsible for granting transport permits, allowed Sole and Elvira to be moved. She wore a high chignon, always had a lemon slice poking out from her red-painted lips, and embodied the oppressive regime.
Mercedes
Mercedes, a widow, was offered a position at the Sales prison. Initially perceived as kind, she proved to be harsh and uncaring. Eager to impress her superiors and demonstrate her authority over the inmates, she volunteered to assist Don Fernando in the infirmary. She wore a banana bun filled with pins, which the inmates mocked.
Space and Time
The novel unfolds during the brutal early years of Franco’s regime following the Spanish Civil War. Fear and devastation pervade a society where everyone is suspicious of everyone else. The Sleepy Voice begins shortly after the war’s end and spans until 1963, the year Jaime is released and finally returns home to Pepita. The narrative primarily focuses on the 1940s. Despite starting after the war, the characters frequently reminisce about their past lives during the conflict, their time in prison, and the events that shaped them. The Sales prison is a central setting, where Daisy, Reme, Tomasa, Elvira, and countless other women, guilty or innocent, spend their days. Other significant locations include the Atocha pension, where Tensi grows impatient and Pepita yearns for news from Jaime while making a living as a seamstress; the Burgos prison, where Don Jaime and Gerardo spend Christmas, hoping for visits from Dona Celia and Pepita; the church of St. Jude, where Pepita and Jaime finally marry and where Pepita seeks favors from the saint of impossible causes; and the cemetery, where Dona Celia goes every morning to inform relatives of those executed about the fate of their loved ones.