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rosseroo's review
2.0
Set in a fictional resort town on Yucatan peninsula (ie. near Cancun), this Mexican novel aims at satire, but never really connected with me. The bulk of it takes place at an upscale hotel that specializes in creating an extreme atmosphere for its American and European clientele (for example, fake kidnappings by actors paid to be pretend rebels). Former rock/metal bassist Antonio works there creating soundscapes and generally floating along in a haze (much of his memory is lost to years of drug abuse). When a scuba diver working for the hotel is discovered murdered, the flimsy scaffolding upon which the hotel is precariously perched starts to collapse as Tony tries to find out who killed him and why.
The plot introduces all manner of characters, from the hotel's shady head of security, a an American owner, a British corporate hack, a local cop, and most centrally, the hotel's manager, who is Tony's ex-bandmate. There are plenty of excursions to Tony's past as well, including a pretty funny part involving a Velvet Underground reunion. However, with all the lurching around, the story never really commits to it's central allegory (hotel as stand-in for the flimsy Mexican state, manipulated by a web of corrupt financial interests and foreign owners) nor the more promising thread of friendship and redemption that comes to the fore near the end.
Which is not to suggest that a story can't be a blend of all manner of styles and objectives -- it's just that none of it really succeeds here, either in isolation or combination. The overwhelming impression I was left with was of a book that was still a first draft and in need of major editorial work.
The plot introduces all manner of characters, from the hotel's shady head of security, a an American owner, a British corporate hack, a local cop, and most centrally, the hotel's manager, who is Tony's ex-bandmate. There are plenty of excursions to Tony's past as well, including a pretty funny part involving a Velvet Underground reunion. However, with all the lurching around, the story never really commits to it's central allegory (hotel as stand-in for the flimsy Mexican state, manipulated by a web of corrupt financial interests and foreign owners) nor the more promising thread of friendship and redemption that comes to the fore near the end.
Which is not to suggest that a story can't be a blend of all manner of styles and objectives -- it's just that none of it really succeeds here, either in isolation or combination. The overwhelming impression I was left with was of a book that was still a first draft and in need of major editorial work.
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