The Reef: A Novel
by Juan Villoro
2021-01-03 03:29:45
A Caribbean
resort specializing in faked cartel kidnappings is the site for Villoro’s
profound and satirical murder mystery.
Amidst stagings
of guerilla warfare, rumors of killer bees and encroaching cartel activity,
...
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A Caribbean
resort specializing in faked cartel kidnappings is the site for Villoro’s
profound and satirical murder mystery.
Amidst stagings
of guerilla warfare, rumors of killer bees and encroaching cartel activity,
recovering ex-rocker, Tony Góngora, attempts to solve the mystery of an
American scuba-diver’s murder. As he tries to piece together the events of the
crime, Tony uncovers his own bizarre and illuminating memories: of a fatherless
childhood spent in the high-risk company of his eccentric friend and the
hotel’s manager; playing gigs with The Velvet Underground; joining a Japanese
pop group. Against the backdrop of a deteriorating climate, a fast-eroding
beachfront, official corruption, cartel violence, and delusional Western
escapism, Tony and an international cast of hotel staffers make and break
alliances as the personal begins to echo the political, and artifice and
reality start to blur. With his signature wit, originality, and dashes of
dazzling social theory, Villoro has created a biting satire of tourism and a
brilliant analogy for Mexico’s unique position in global politics.
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