The broken mirror

OK, so I'm trying to come to terms with this novel. My first contact with it was last year in Catalan class where we watched the TV3 TV-movie version of the book. I didn't like it because I felt like it was too disjointed. I thought 'here they are trying to fit what must be a fantastic realist novel into a time slot and they have to sacrifice content to do it.' I assumed that the book was much more...complete?...whole?...fluid?
Anyway, the film left a lot to be desired.
Now I'm reading the novel and I realize that the joke was on me. I was hoping for a Galdosian realist novel in Catlan, and it just didn't happen. The title says it all: the broken mirror. I think Rodoreda's genius lies partly in that she is able to re-recreate and transmit the frustration that comes from looking at your reflection in a broken mirror. It turns out that what most frustrated me about the film is the thing I most love about the novel. I'm not sure why it works so much better on paper than on film, but with each new chapter I feel like the story becomes deeper - not clearer, or even more complete, but she adds facets. I like it.