Status
Disponible
Call number
Publication
Alfaguara (2006), 344 pages
Description
A chilling political thriller set at the end of Peru's grim war between Shining Path terrorists and a morally bankrupt government counterinsurgency. nbsp; Associate District Prosecutor Felix Chacaltana Saldivar is a by-the-book prosecutor wading through life. Two of his greatest pleasures are writing mundane reports and speaking to his long-dead mother. Everything changes, however, when he is asked to investigate a bizarre and brutal murder: the body was found burnt beyond recognition and a cross branded into its forehead. Adhering to standard operating procedures, Chacaltana begins a meticulous investigation, but when everyone he speaks to meets with an unfortunate and untimely end, he realizes that his quarry may be much closer to home. With action rising in chorus to Peru's Holy Week, Red April twists and turns racing toward a riveting conclusion.nbsp;… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member lriley
Santiago Roncagliolo is the relatively young (34) Peruvian author of 'Red April' a prize winning crime novel about one government bureaucrats'--an assistant prosecutor Felix Chacaltana Saldivar--investigation into the murders of a serial killer he believes is linked to the defeated Sendero Luminoso
It also seems as the novel goes along and Chacaltana gets closer and closer to the truth behind the murders that everyone he talks to seems to die. The murders are particularly gruesome. They start with an army officer who in the 80's was a notorious killer and torturer and a man responsible for the disappearances of numbers of people. He is found almost burnt to a crisp --having been dowsed in kerosene--one arm torn out of its socket by the roots--apparently while he was still alive and a cross burnt into his forehead. While suspecting the possible revival of a Sendero Luminoso cell Chacaltana cannot rule out some kind of religious maniac. His main suspect the man who 'discovered' the body turns out to be the second victim. Not as gruesome as the first killing but with the oppositie arm torn out of socket by its roots. Around the same time Chacaltana strikes up a relationship with a young waitress--Edith--who he quickly becomes enamored with. She claims the death of both her parents as victims of the Sendero Luminoso terrorists--when in fact as it turns out they were members killed conducting operations for that group. Because of other coincidences however Chacaltana begins to suspect her. One night he rapes her and later after leaving her home on the very same night a priest who he had been confiding in becomes the 4th victim. He returns to Edith--confronting her with his suspicions. He allows her to hightail it but lo and behold she becomes the 5th victim. In any case he's at his wits end and the plaything of other forces. Eventually he will find that the truth lies a lot closer to home.
Red April is a very suspenseful and well written thriller. It looks at modern Peruvian society on a number of levels--the distinictions between Indian and Spanish cultures, the corruption of government and the role that the Catholic church and more ancient Indian religions play. The brutality of the military and its intelligence arms link it to the abuses of other military dominated regimes in Latin America during that time. The driving philosophy of a land based Indian culture driven by common goals of shared property and mixed with a kind of liberation theology was the fertile ground out of which the communist based Sendero Luminoso seemed to grow. Of course the ambitions of those already in power were not going to be compromised even one inch by any of that. Anyway that seems to my mind to be much of the background for Roncagliolo's very interesting novel which made him the youngest winner of Spain's Alfaguara Prize.
So to conclude--Red April is a very well written, fascinating, complex and suspenseful thriller with numerous historical insights and a number of interesting twists and pretty gory as well. How can I can complain about all that packed into one work? Highly recommended.
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(Shining Path) terrorists set during the time of the corrupt Fujimori regime. The somewhat wooden Chacaltana--divorced and still living in his childhood home where he talks to his long deceased mother and sets out clothes for her every day--is kind of an ingracious by the book bore who has a tendency to get on everyone's nerves because he has no idea how to play the political games of the politicians and military and intelligence officers he serves and does not know when to keep his mouth shut often lecturing the above on the rules and regulations of their country. It also seems as the novel goes along and Chacaltana gets closer and closer to the truth behind the murders that everyone he talks to seems to die. The murders are particularly gruesome. They start with an army officer who in the 80's was a notorious killer and torturer and a man responsible for the disappearances of numbers of people. He is found almost burnt to a crisp --having been dowsed in kerosene--one arm torn out of its socket by the roots--apparently while he was still alive and a cross burnt into his forehead. While suspecting the possible revival of a Sendero Luminoso cell Chacaltana cannot rule out some kind of religious maniac. His main suspect the man who 'discovered' the body turns out to be the second victim. Not as gruesome as the first killing but with the oppositie arm torn out of socket by its roots. Around the same time Chacaltana strikes up a relationship with a young waitress--Edith--who he quickly becomes enamored with. She claims the death of both her parents as victims of the Sendero Luminoso terrorists--when in fact as it turns out they were members killed conducting operations for that group. Because of other coincidences however Chacaltana begins to suspect her. One night he rapes her and later after leaving her home on the very same night a priest who he had been confiding in becomes the 4th victim. He returns to Edith--confronting her with his suspicions. He allows her to hightail it but lo and behold she becomes the 5th victim. In any case he's at his wits end and the plaything of other forces. Eventually he will find that the truth lies a lot closer to home.
Red April is a very suspenseful and well written thriller. It looks at modern Peruvian society on a number of levels--the distinictions between Indian and Spanish cultures, the corruption of government and the role that the Catholic church and more ancient Indian religions play. The brutality of the military and its intelligence arms link it to the abuses of other military dominated regimes in Latin America during that time. The driving philosophy of a land based Indian culture driven by common goals of shared property and mixed with a kind of liberation theology was the fertile ground out of which the communist based Sendero Luminoso seemed to grow. Of course the ambitions of those already in power were not going to be compromised even one inch by any of that. Anyway that seems to my mind to be much of the background for Roncagliolo's very interesting novel which made him the youngest winner of Spain's Alfaguara Prize.
So to conclude--Red April is a very well written, fascinating, complex and suspenseful thriller with numerous historical insights and a number of interesting twists and pretty gory as well. How can I can complain about all that packed into one work? Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member kidzdoc
Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo, the winner of this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, a mystery set in Ayacucho, Peru in 2000. The main character is a by-the-book and unlikable prosecutor who investigates a disturbing murder in the city, a former stronghold of the Sendero Luminoso
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(Shining Path) terrorist movement against the government in the 1980s and 1990s. The prosecutor suspects that remnants of Sendero Luminoso are responsible for the crime and mentions this to the local head of the Peruvian police force that still rules over the area, but is curtly dismissed. In the course of his investigation he interviews several people associated with the crime, and one by one several of them meet gruesome deaths, and on each corpse is left a calling card from Sendero Luminoso. The country's focus turns to Ayacucho, due to local elections and the Holy Week celebrations that attract thousands of Peruvians and tourists, and local and national officials and businessmen are eager to suppress any evidence that the guerrillas are becoming more active. The prosecutor seems to be coming closer to a resolution to the case...but will he solve it before he becomes the next victim? This was a solid and well written if not spectacular novel, but I would give a slight nod to Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa, which covers similar ground. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
RED APRIL covers the period Thursday March 9 - Wednesday May 3, 2000. It is set in Ayucucha, Peru.
On Wednesday, the eighth day of March, 2000, as he passed through the area surrounding his domicile in the locality of Quinua, Justino Maya Catazo (31) discovered a body.
This opening sentence is the
Chacaltana's formal report is a remarkably convoluted document, following all the prescribed procedures, words chosen with precision. It requires police corroboration and signature which he finds extraordinarily to obtain.
It is the eve of the national elections and the beginning of Lent.
Chacaltana is originally from Ayacucho, but has lived in Lima since he was a boy. He has returned after an absence of twenty years to be with his mother. The terrorism that has marked the past in Ayacucho has gone. But Chacaltana begins to wonder if in fact terrorism is dead, or is the local brand, the Senerista, the Sendero Luminosa, still very much alive, and responsible for this murder?
Sunday March 12 2000 is the official start of Lent, with the parade in Ayacucho, established by decree in 1994 at the request of the archbishop. As the community moves through religious observances and public events towards the resurrection of Christ, Chacaltana increasingly comes to believe he is seeing the resurgence of terrorism. His role changes from prosecutor to investigator, and his relationship with the local police and military changes.
There's so much I haven't told you about this novel but I recommend you make this journey of discovery for yourself. I found the first quarter of the book quite difficult to read, and then it seemed as if the author grew into his task. But by then I had worked out whose the "voices" were, and how the book was structured.
You need to remind yourself too that the reader is being given a window into Peruvian culture, fascinating stories to absorb, an underlying critique of a political system where the president is re-elected even when the vote goes against him. There is more than one murder, and when Prosecutor Chacaltano deduces the pattern, I found myself predicting what the next would be like, and who it would be. I didn't expect the ending.
On Wednesday, the eighth day of March, 2000, as he passed through the area surrounding his domicile in the locality of Quinua, Justino Maya Catazo (31) discovered a body.
This opening sentence is the
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"hook" that gets the reader into RED APRIL. It is also the beginning of a report by Associate District Prosecutor Felix Chacaltana Saldivar into the discovery, by Justino Maya, of a charred body lying next to him in a hay loft. Maya has been celebrating Carnival for 3 days with dancing and drinking and barely remembers passing out in the hay loft. The body is found to be missing an arm. There's a cross on its forehead and it is Ash Wednesday.Chacaltana's formal report is a remarkably convoluted document, following all the prescribed procedures, words chosen with precision. It requires police corroboration and signature which he finds extraordinarily to obtain.
It is the eve of the national elections and the beginning of Lent.
Chacaltana is originally from Ayacucho, but has lived in Lima since he was a boy. He has returned after an absence of twenty years to be with his mother. The terrorism that has marked the past in Ayacucho has gone. But Chacaltana begins to wonder if in fact terrorism is dead, or is the local brand, the Senerista, the Sendero Luminosa, still very much alive, and responsible for this murder?
Sunday March 12 2000 is the official start of Lent, with the parade in Ayacucho, established by decree in 1994 at the request of the archbishop. As the community moves through religious observances and public events towards the resurrection of Christ, Chacaltana increasingly comes to believe he is seeing the resurgence of terrorism. His role changes from prosecutor to investigator, and his relationship with the local police and military changes.
There's so much I haven't told you about this novel but I recommend you make this journey of discovery for yourself. I found the first quarter of the book quite difficult to read, and then it seemed as if the author grew into his task. But by then I had worked out whose the "voices" were, and how the book was structured.
You need to remind yourself too that the reader is being given a window into Peruvian culture, fascinating stories to absorb, an underlying critique of a political system where the president is re-elected even when the vote goes against him. There is more than one murder, and when Prosecutor Chacaltano deduces the pattern, I found myself predicting what the next would be like, and who it would be. I didn't expect the ending.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
First Line: On Wednesday, the eighth day of March, 2000, as he passed through the area surrounding his domicile in the locality of Quinna, Justino Mayta Carazo (31) discovered a body.
Felix Chacaltana Saldivar is an unambitious prosecutor living in Lima, Peru. Haunted by his mother, abandoned by his
Well... I'm going to assume it's a surprising conclusion because I just could not finish this book. One part of my brain loved the look into the politics and country of Peru and didn't want to stop reading. The other part of my brain was so disappointed by the main character and the writing style that I did stop.
I'll talk about the writing style first. I should know better than to get a book which contains the following words in its description: "stunning", "self-assured", "clarity of style", "complexity", "riveting", "profound", and "deft artistry". 99% of the time when I read the book, I'm simply stunned and let it go at that. There was a sly, arch tone to the writing that I found alternately confusing and annoying.
If I wanted to be blunt, I'd say that Felix Chacaltana Saldivar was too dumb to live. Evidently he's spent way too much time in that room talking to his dead mother. The room and the talking to the dead may be a cultural tradition, but he carried it to excess.
I reached the point of no return when Felix went to a village to investigate. He had an idea going in that the area was very unstable politically. When he got there, he was told that it, indeed, was a very dangerous place to be. So what does he proceed to do? He takes the moral high ground when questioning people, and he won't stop questioning why laws are not being enforced. Yes, I do have morals, and yes, I do believe in law enforcement-- but not when you're putting people's lives in danger. Felix, having the luck of the naive and stupid, can leave that village and return home. The villagers he questions must remain there and hope they live to see the sun rise in the morning.
Enough of my complaints. I've seen by several other reviews that other people have read and enjoyed Red April. Unless you're the type of reader who is annoyed by many of the same things I outlined above, you may well be one of them. I sincerely hope that you are.
Felix Chacaltana Saldivar is an unambitious prosecutor living in Lima, Peru. Haunted by his mother, abandoned by his
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wife, Felix loves literature and devotes an entire room of his house (and a good percentage of his waking thoughts) to the spirit of his dead mother. For some reason known only to the gods he has been put in charge of a strange murder investigation, which twists and turns to its surprising conclusion.Well... I'm going to assume it's a surprising conclusion because I just could not finish this book. One part of my brain loved the look into the politics and country of Peru and didn't want to stop reading. The other part of my brain was so disappointed by the main character and the writing style that I did stop.
I'll talk about the writing style first. I should know better than to get a book which contains the following words in its description: "stunning", "self-assured", "clarity of style", "complexity", "riveting", "profound", and "deft artistry". 99% of the time when I read the book, I'm simply stunned and let it go at that. There was a sly, arch tone to the writing that I found alternately confusing and annoying.
If I wanted to be blunt, I'd say that Felix Chacaltana Saldivar was too dumb to live. Evidently he's spent way too much time in that room talking to his dead mother. The room and the talking to the dead may be a cultural tradition, but he carried it to excess.
I reached the point of no return when Felix went to a village to investigate. He had an idea going in that the area was very unstable politically. When he got there, he was told that it, indeed, was a very dangerous place to be. So what does he proceed to do? He takes the moral high ground when questioning people, and he won't stop questioning why laws are not being enforced. Yes, I do have morals, and yes, I do believe in law enforcement-- but not when you're putting people's lives in danger. Felix, having the luck of the naive and stupid, can leave that village and return home. The villagers he questions must remain there and hope they live to see the sun rise in the morning.
Enough of my complaints. I've seen by several other reviews that other people have read and enjoyed Red April. Unless you're the type of reader who is annoyed by many of the same things I outlined above, you may well be one of them. I sincerely hope that you are.
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LibraryThing member ChrisConway
District Attorney Felix Chacaltana of Ayacucho, Peru is a real jerk. He write nonsensical reports on crimes and gets thrust into a serial killer investigation. The novel satirizes political and juridical corruption in Peru on the eve of the elections of 2000. It is also available in English.
LibraryThing member ohernaes
Set in Perú in 2000. Prosecutor Félix Chacaltana Saldívar investigates murders purportedly carried out by the Maoist terrorist group Sendero Luminoso. Meets and creates several difficulties. The conflict and violence in the novel are modelled on the real world. Despite this, the book was not
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really my style. Show Less
LibraryThing member rkreish
I’m a bit ambivalent about reviewing this book because I nearly gave it up after the first 200 pages (there’s a big shift in tone then), but ultimately I decided to finish it to see what the book was trying to do as a whole. I think Roncagliolo intended the book to be so brutal for a reason,
I chose to read this book because it’s hard to find books about or from Peru translated into English, because it’s won a couple big literary awards, and because it was billed as a sort of crime novel. Conspiracy thriller actually seems a bit more accurate because the murder near the beginning of the novel seems like a small part of the story until the final section of the book.
But this is most definitely not crime novel. The main character is a prosecutor who willingly left Lima for a provincial town of Ayacucho, and he deals with a stifling bureaucracy to investigate a murder in an area where Shining Path is supposedly inactive. This book is about the crimes perpetrated by the terrorists and the government trying to quash them, and along the way there are also a series of murders in the region.
The novel is horrifying in terms of the bureaucratic obstacles to Chacaltana’s investigation into the murders, it’s horrifying in terms of the remnants of the 20 year conflict between Shining Path and the Peruvian government, and it’s brutal in terms of the series of murders that Chacaltana investigates. The action is a bit strange and unbelievable, but the aura of violence feels real. I think my real ambivalence about the book comes from the fact that I didn’t expect there to be any hope at the end, and my assumption was correct. I’m glad I read it, but I’m ready for something less serious and brutally violent next.
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but it made for an uneasy read.I chose to read this book because it’s hard to find books about or from Peru translated into English, because it’s won a couple big literary awards, and because it was billed as a sort of crime novel. Conspiracy thriller actually seems a bit more accurate because the murder near the beginning of the novel seems like a small part of the story until the final section of the book.
But this is most definitely not crime novel. The main character is a prosecutor who willingly left Lima for a provincial town of Ayacucho, and he deals with a stifling bureaucracy to investigate a murder in an area where Shining Path is supposedly inactive. This book is about the crimes perpetrated by the terrorists and the government trying to quash them, and along the way there are also a series of murders in the region.
The novel is horrifying in terms of the bureaucratic obstacles to Chacaltana’s investigation into the murders, it’s horrifying in terms of the remnants of the 20 year conflict between Shining Path and the Peruvian government, and it’s brutal in terms of the series of murders that Chacaltana investigates. The action is a bit strange and unbelievable, but the aura of violence feels real. I think my real ambivalence about the book comes from the fact that I didn’t expect there to be any hope at the end, and my assumption was correct. I’m glad I read it, but I’m ready for something less serious and brutally violent next.
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LibraryThing member MarkPSadler
Life is a constant struggle for prosecutor Felix Chacaltana Saldivar in Ayacucho. Having recently divorced, he has left Lima for a smaller town and becomes embroiled in political corruption and deceit at the highest levels. Struggling to find his place he is thwarted at every turn, made to accept
As his own investigation into the murders escalates, he exposes additional cover-ups performed by the church and the local priest. When a suspected terrorist is allowed to escape from jail—only to be brutally butchered—and the priest Chacaltana confesses to is tortured and slaughtered in his own church during Holy Week, the prosecutor becomes the pursued, or is he? In his own mind, swamped in confusion, he talks to his recently departed mother and the young girl, Edith, he is trying to court.
As the story builds to a crescendo, we are treated to the written notes of a third party as a clue to who is behind the rumors, the troubles and the murders themselves. Will Chacaltana discover the truth before he becomes the next victim? In an inspiring tale of one man trying to make a difference in this private hell on earth, Roncagliolo presents us with a flawed protagonist that we can relate to and gives us hope for mankind in this political thriller. But do not be fooled by the shy, unassuming attitude of the prosecutor; he is out to get his man no matter the cost, even if it is his own demise.
A brilliant debut novel from one of Latin America’s newest and compelling authors.
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the status quo and required to go along to keep in the graces of the local militia and police. The story reminded me of David Pearce’s Red Riding Quartet, not only in the aspects of his superiors looking the other way, but at the sheer brutality of the deeds he was asked to pretend were not happening for his own good.As his own investigation into the murders escalates, he exposes additional cover-ups performed by the church and the local priest. When a suspected terrorist is allowed to escape from jail—only to be brutally butchered—and the priest Chacaltana confesses to is tortured and slaughtered in his own church during Holy Week, the prosecutor becomes the pursued, or is he? In his own mind, swamped in confusion, he talks to his recently departed mother and the young girl, Edith, he is trying to court.
As the story builds to a crescendo, we are treated to the written notes of a third party as a clue to who is behind the rumors, the troubles and the murders themselves. Will Chacaltana discover the truth before he becomes the next victim? In an inspiring tale of one man trying to make a difference in this private hell on earth, Roncagliolo presents us with a flawed protagonist that we can relate to and gives us hope for mankind in this political thriller. But do not be fooled by the shy, unassuming attitude of the prosecutor; he is out to get his man no matter the cost, even if it is his own demise.
A brilliant debut novel from one of Latin America’s newest and compelling authors.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MarkPSadler
Life is a constant struggle for prosecutor Felix Chacaltana Saldivar in Ayacucho. Having recently divorced, he has left Lima for a smaller town and becomes embroiled in political corruption and deceit at the highest levels. Struggling to find his place he is thwarted at every turn, made to accept
As his own investigation into the murders escalates, he exposes additional cover-ups performed by the church and the local priest. When a suspected terrorist is allowed to escape from jail—only to be brutally butchered—and the priest Chacaltana confesses to is tortured and slaughtered in his own church during Holy Week, the prosecutor becomes the pursued, or is he? In his own mind, swamped in confusion, he talks to his recently departed mother and the young girl, Edith, he is trying to court.
As the story builds to a crescendo, we are treated to the written notes of a third party as a clue to who is behind the rumors, the troubles and the murders themselves. Will Chacaltana discover the truth before he becomes the next victim? In an inspiring tale of one man trying to make a difference in this private hell on earth, Roncagliolo presents us with a flawed protagonist that we can relate to and gives us hope for mankind in this political thriller. But do not be fooled by the shy, unassuming attitude of the prosecutor; he is out to get his man no matter the cost, even if it is his own demise.
A brilliant debut novel from one of Latin America’s newest and compelling authors.
Show More
the status quo and required to go along to keep in the graces of the local militia and police. The story reminded me of David Pearce’s Red Riding Quartet, not only in the aspects of his superiors looking the other way, but at the sheer brutality of the deeds he was asked to pretend were not happening for his own good.As his own investigation into the murders escalates, he exposes additional cover-ups performed by the church and the local priest. When a suspected terrorist is allowed to escape from jail—only to be brutally butchered—and the priest Chacaltana confesses to is tortured and slaughtered in his own church during Holy Week, the prosecutor becomes the pursued, or is he? In his own mind, swamped in confusion, he talks to his recently departed mother and the young girl, Edith, he is trying to court.
As the story builds to a crescendo, we are treated to the written notes of a third party as a clue to who is behind the rumors, the troubles and the murders themselves. Will Chacaltana discover the truth before he becomes the next victim? In an inspiring tale of one man trying to make a difference in this private hell on earth, Roncagliolo presents us with a flawed protagonist that we can relate to and gives us hope for mankind in this political thriller. But do not be fooled by the shy, unassuming attitude of the prosecutor; he is out to get his man no matter the cost, even if it is his own demise.
A brilliant debut novel from one of Latin America’s newest and compelling authors.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MarkPSadler
Life is a constant struggle for prosecutor Felix Chacaltana Saldivar in Ayacucho. Having recently divorced, he has left Lima for a smaller town and becomes embroiled in political corruption and deceit at the highest levels. Struggling to find his place he is thwarted at every turn, made to accept
As his own investigation into the murders escalates, he exposes additional cover-ups performed by the church and the local priest. When a suspected terrorist is allowed to escape from jail—only to be brutally butchered—and the priest Chacaltana confesses to is tortured and slaughtered in his own church during Holy Week, the prosecutor becomes the pursued, or is he? In his own mind, swamped in confusion, he talks to his recently departed mother and the young girl, Edith, he is trying to court.
As the story builds to a crescendo, we are treated to the written notes of a third party as a clue to who is behind the rumors, the troubles and the murders themselves. Will Chacaltana discover the truth before he becomes the next victim? In an inspiring tale of one man trying to make a difference in this private hell on earth, Roncagliolo presents us with a flawed protagonist that we can relate to and gives us hope for mankind in this political thriller. But do not be fooled by the shy, unassuming attitude of the prosecutor; he is out to get his man no matter the cost, even if it is his own demise.
A brilliant debut novel from one of Latin America’s newest and compelling authors.
Show More
the status quo and required to go along to keep in the graces of the local militia and police. The story reminded me of David Pearce’s Red Riding Quartet, not only in the aspects of his superiors looking the other way, but at the sheer brutality of the deeds he was asked to pretend were not happening for his own good.As his own investigation into the murders escalates, he exposes additional cover-ups performed by the church and the local priest. When a suspected terrorist is allowed to escape from jail—only to be brutally butchered—and the priest Chacaltana confesses to is tortured and slaughtered in his own church during Holy Week, the prosecutor becomes the pursued, or is he? In his own mind, swamped in confusion, he talks to his recently departed mother and the young girl, Edith, he is trying to court.
As the story builds to a crescendo, we are treated to the written notes of a third party as a clue to who is behind the rumors, the troubles and the murders themselves. Will Chacaltana discover the truth before he becomes the next victim? In an inspiring tale of one man trying to make a difference in this private hell on earth, Roncagliolo presents us with a flawed protagonist that we can relate to and gives us hope for mankind in this political thriller. But do not be fooled by the shy, unassuming attitude of the prosecutor; he is out to get his man no matter the cost, even if it is his own demise.
A brilliant debut novel from one of Latin America’s newest and compelling authors.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ProfH
Quirky, strange, largely entertaining novel. Chacaltana is ridiculous, but somehow likable eventually. Certainly not the best work to deal with Peru's struggle, but if you are interested in the subject or a fan of unusual murder mysteries, it is worth checking out.
LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
Parts of this novel really grabbed my attention and held me in, but there were also many sections where I struggled to remain engaged or even interested. There are moments--and brief chapters--where the book is indeed chilling and driven, but more often than not, it's got a sort of heavy, plodding
This probably isn't something I'd recommend, though the writing and characterization were strong enough that I wouldn't mind seeking out the author again, particularly if I were in the mood for something quieter than the way this book is actually described. The book jacket definitely exaggerates its momentum and suspense, though I suppose it is a political thriller, for lack of a better term. It's quite a bit quieter than I'd expected, though, excepting brief glimpses of something darker.
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feel to it, and is more mired in a hapless protagonist than pulled along by his investigation. All told, I simply wanted quite a bit more suspense and action, and a bit more depth and focus, as well.This probably isn't something I'd recommend, though the writing and characterization were strong enough that I wouldn't mind seeking out the author again, particularly if I were in the mood for something quieter than the way this book is actually described. The book jacket definitely exaggerates its momentum and suspense, though I suppose it is a political thriller, for lack of a better term. It's quite a bit quieter than I'd expected, though, excepting brief glimpses of something darker.
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Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2011)
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (Winner — 2011)
Alfaguara Prize (2006)
Language
Original language
Spanish
Original publication date
2006
Physical description
328 p.; 9.5 inches
ISBN
9707704624 / 9789707704626
Other editions
Abril Rojo by Santiago Roncagliolo (Paperback)