How to Order the Universe

Hardware. María José Ferrada’s debut novel titled, How to Order the Universe, tells the story of a daughter and her father in Chile during the 1970s. Seven-year-old M loves when her father, D, takes her with him to hardware stores for his work as a salesman. We see the Pinochet era from M’s perspective and feel a sense of wonder as they drive an old Renault from town to town. Even the durability of hardware cannot protect them from the waves of change. It is the lessons about the human heart that M learns during her time on these sales routes, more valuable than what she would have learned in school. The simplicity of hardware contrasts with the complexity of the world. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase How to Order the Universe from amazon.com.