▁broad ▁and ▁extensive ▁genre . ▁ ▁Style ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁Latin ▁American ▁literary ▁scholar ▁Ger ald ▁Martin , ▁Ast ur ias ' s ▁, ▁which ▁was ▁written ▁and ▁published ▁before ▁the ▁Latin ▁American ▁Bo om ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁uses ▁a ▁style ▁now ▁class ified ▁as ▁the ▁" new ▁novel " ▁or ▁" new ▁narr ative ". ▁ ▁In ▁this ▁novel , ▁Ast ur ias ▁breaks ▁from ▁the ▁historic ▁and ▁real ist ▁style ▁that ▁domin ated ▁nov els ▁at ▁the ▁time . ▁Martin ▁arg ues ▁that ▁the ▁novel ▁" ex empl ifies ▁more ▁clearly ▁than ▁any ▁other ▁novel ▁the ▁cru cial ▁link ▁between ▁European ▁Sur real ism ▁and ▁Latin ▁American ▁Mag ical ▁Real ism . ▁It ▁is , ▁indeed , ▁the ▁first ▁fully - f led ged ▁Sur real ist ▁novel ▁in ▁Latin ▁America ." ▁ ▁Richard ▁Franklin ▁cont ends ▁that ▁on ▁occasion ▁sur real ist ▁writing ▁obsc ures ▁meaning , ▁but ▁in ▁▁ ▁Ast ur ias ▁avoid s ▁this ▁f law . ▁His ▁combination ▁of ▁rational ism ▁with ▁" a ▁world ▁of ▁forms " ▁creates ▁" an ▁imag ery ▁which ▁reve als ▁a ▁deeper ▁reality , ▁one ▁which ▁is ▁more ▁deeply ▁root ed ▁in ▁the ▁human ▁ps y che ". ▁As ▁such , ▁Ast ur ias ' s ▁sur real ist ▁style ▁highlight s ▁the ▁modern ▁dis integration ▁of ▁long - standing ▁belief ▁systems . ▁Liter ary ▁scholar ▁Gab rie le ▁E ck art ▁gives ▁as ▁an ▁excellent ▁example ▁of ▁Ast ur ias ' s ▁sur real