Nature and water in the fiction of Tomás González and Héctor Abad: Ecocritical readings of two Colombian novels

Abstract

The novels Temporal by Tomás González and La Oculta by Héctor Abad, while dealing mainly with themes of memory and violence, draw attention to problems of an ecocritical nature in relation to gender and postcolonial issues. The destruction of natural space
can be interpreted as a call to conscience for ecological and social problems. The pervasive violence coincides with the underlying mistreatment of the environment, especially related to water, and leads to a catastrophe, which can sensibilize readers to the serious consequences of inadequate treatment of both other human beings and the aquatic space, as well as raise awareness of problems such as construction in rural areas, extractivism and the destruction of biodiversity.