An authentic rain-fila: time in The Crossing by Luís Cardoso

Abstract

Rain-fila is a Timorese belief according to which time acts as a transformative and deceptive force, capable of disorienting the traveler and forcing them to wear their clothes inside out to find their way back. In the novel The Crossing - A Story of East Timor, this concept serves as a metaphor for memory. This article aims to analyze narrative time in Luís Cardoso’s novel, drawing on the narratological framework of Carlos Reis. It examines paratexts and excerpts that reveal the relationship between story time and discourse time. The analysis focuses on phenomena of order, speed, and frequency, which highlight processes of deconstructing and reconstructing the past, interweaving individual and collective memory.