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A lucid and emotional homage to the simple life, this reflective novel plays with the notion that it is only possible to understand one's own life by reflecting on those of other people. On a snowy day in Paris, Esteban Hinestroza gazes out of his window and loses himself in memories of his 1960s childhood in Colombia. As he sorts through memories of his own past, Esteban recalls the personal history of Toño, who loved Delia but couldn't defend himself against Cory's jealousy; of the child Ismail, whose family guarded the bones of his dead unc≤ and of Federico, an expert in suicides with a profound understanding of interpersonal relationships, particularly those from his own past.

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Publishers Weekly Review

Colombian author Gamboa (Páginas de Vuelta), who has worked as a journalist for French radio, an editor for the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, and a columnist for the Colombian magazine Cromos, here offers the fictional biography of a character named Esteban Hinestroza. Because Esteban grew up during Colombia's most politically explosive times, one would expect to read about a life filled with violence. Instead, the author takes the opportunity to show a different side of Colombia. Esteban describes everyday people with everyday problems, relating Toño's love tribulations, Cory's jealousy conflicts, and the Spanish revolutionary tales of Father Gerardo. While the narrative weaves in events like the assassination of presidential candidate Jorge Eliecer Gaitán and the turmoil started by Leftists and liberal groups within Colombia's universities, it concentrates on the memories of one happy child and the people around him, showing that their lives may have been influenced by political conflict but were not determined by it. Recommended for bookstores with an interest in historical fiction and a readership interested in discovering a different perspective on the Latin America way of life.-Ana K. Bonfante, Berwyn, IL (Never Say Never)Posada, Margarita.The story of wealthy people in a struggling country, Colombian journalist Posada's first novel is a frightening evocation of the emptiness of privileged lives-though it's hard to tell whether the author meant it as such. Radio journalist Ana Cristina has just broken up with her boyfriend Miguel when she begins a relationship with Camilo Urrutia, private secretary to the president. Anacrís (her nickname) compares her doomed relationship with Urrutia to buying a pair of shoes you love even though they are a size too small, which is a perfect example of the characters' lack of depth. Page after page of vapid, self-centered rambling will leave readers hungry for some substance, and one is left wondering how much of the author's own life is reflected in her fiction. Portions of the narrative are in the second person-a refreshing change that offers a glimpse of the protagonist from the outside. The storyline, setting, and a tragedy towards the end calls to mind Claudia Piñeiro's Las viudas de los jueves (see our review, January 15 2007). Pop lyrics are interspersed throughout and will appeal to a contemporary audience, but the Colombia-specific language could either invoke a true sense of the setting or confuse readers unfamiliar with it. Recommended for bookstores with an interest in current Colombian fiction.Lisa Carter, Ottawa(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.