▁they ▁shift ▁between : ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁writer , ▁I ▁feel ▁absolutely ▁at ▁liberty ▁to ▁cross ▁over ▁boundaries . ▁My ▁technique ▁is ▁to ▁start ▁with ▁something ▁that ▁I ▁know ▁very ▁well , ▁like ▁my ▁Uncle ▁Gu zm án . ▁People ▁loved ▁him ▁in ▁spite ▁of ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁ras cal . ▁I ▁started ▁with ▁that ▁which ▁was ▁absolutely ▁true . ▁Then ▁I ▁started ▁imag ining ▁him ▁in ▁situations ▁that ▁had ▁never ▁actually ▁happened . ▁I ▁think ▁literature ▁has ▁a ▁truth ▁that ▁has ▁nothing ▁to ▁do ▁with ▁the ▁dictionary ▁definition ▁of ▁truth . ▁ ▁F actual ▁and ▁historical ▁elements ▁based ▁on ▁Ort iz ▁Co fer ' s ▁own ▁life ▁and ▁experiences ▁growing ▁up ▁are ▁combined ▁in ▁the ▁novel ▁with ▁imag in ative ▁story t elling ▁that ▁enables ▁characters ▁to ▁speak ▁their ▁truth ▁as ▁they ▁operate ▁in ▁the ▁story ▁line . ▁For ▁Mar is ol , ▁her ▁ability ▁to ▁conclude ▁the ▁story ▁represents ▁her ▁m aturing ▁into ▁a ▁fully ▁grown ▁adult . ▁References ▁to ▁the ▁town ▁of ▁Sal ud ' s ▁past ▁history , ▁as ▁it ▁is ▁written ▁and ▁passed ▁down ▁through ▁the ▁characters ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁narr ative , ▁echo ▁the ▁major ▁historical ▁role ▁of ▁story t elling ▁in ▁Puerto ▁R ican ▁tradition . ▁ ▁Natural ▁law ▁and ▁rit ual ▁ ▁The ▁novel ▁contains ▁references ▁to ▁the ▁spiritual ▁aspects ▁of ▁Sal ud ▁and ▁its ▁town spe ople . ▁The ▁author , ▁however , ▁distingu ishes ▁her ▁all us ions ▁to ▁esp irit ismo ▁in ▁The ▁Line ▁of ▁the ▁Sun ▁from ▁the