SPOILER FREE
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia has an interesting relationship with the color blue. The color is a thread running through the novel that’s spun with repeated references to the song “Blue Velvet” (from 1950) and the grisly French fairytale Bluebeard.
The novel’s title is straight from the lyrics of “Blue Velvet.” It is a lyrical fragment from the second line of the song:
“Bluer than velvet was the night.”
The song is a prominent fixture in the story, connecting the protagonists Maite and Elvis, who both love records and music. Maite owns the Arthur Prysock cover of “Blue Velvet,” while Elvis owns the Tony Bennett one. On assignment with The Hawks, when Elvis sneaks into her apartment for reconnaissance, he notices Maite’s “Blue Velvet” vinyl on her record player. He’s intrigued by her record collection, and at this point, his crush on Maite begins. This song’s themes of longing for a woman aligns snugly with how Elvis’ gently pines for Maite and matches Maite’s own fervent wish to be part of a love story worthy of being written about in books and songs.
The Bluebeard fairytale is a repeated reference in the novel too. Elvis thinks Maite’s eyes look sad and startled like an illustration he remembers of Bluebeard’s wife opening the forbidden door. (Yes, the door where Bluebeard hides the corpses of his previous wives!) It’s an odd image to attribute to a person you’re crushing on, but Elvis genuinely likes Maite’s eyes. I think his description speaks strongly in a thematic way to Maite’s curiosity and willingness to break a few patriarchal rules for that curiosity. Just like Bluebeard’s wife, she seeks the truth.
Here’s what the song, the fairytale, and this novel all have in common: THEY ARE ALL ABOUT LOOKING FOR A WOMAN OR WOMEN WHO HAVE DISAPPEARED.
It took me a while to figure the connection out, but how satisfying it was to see it!
- “Blue Velvet” is about a person who longs for a woman who wore a blue velvet dress. She’s gone from speaker’s life and we don’t know why. Their longing for her is sad and strong.
- In the Bluebeard fairytale, Bluebeard’s final wife unlocks the forbidden door in their home, discovering the corpses of all his missing and murdered wives.
- In Velvet Was the Night, Maite and Elvis are looking for Maite’s neighbor Leonora who has gone missing with important photographic evidence.
The “missing woman” link between the three works of art is emblematic of what Silvia Moreno-Garcia does in so many of novels with references. She is incredibly good weaving other media into her stories with the most careful intention. I’ve noticed this in every book of hers I’ve read, and Velvet Was the Night is certainly no different.
