Death in the AndesDeath in the Andes
Title rated 3.55 out of 5 stars, based on 18 ratings(18 ratings)
Book, 1996
Current format, Book, 1996, 1st ed, Available .Book, 1996
Current format, Book, 1996, 1st ed, Available . Offered in 0 more formats"In this novel, simultaneous plot lines ranging from an investigation by Corporal Lituma of a mysterious disappearance, to his deputy's love affair with a prostitute, to an Andean community terrorized by Shining Path guerrillas, and the alternating first- and third-person narrators all obscure coherence. Grossman's lazy translation needlessly retains large doses of original Spanish lexicon. An introduction, maps, and a translator's note are badly needed to orient readers not familiar with Peru"--Handbookof Latin American Studies, v. 58.http://www.loc.gov/hlas/Set in an isolated, rundown community in the Peruvian Andes, a part mystery, part political allegory follows a series of disappearances that involve the Shining Path guerrillas and a local couple who performs Dionysian sacrifices
Set in an isolated, rundown community in the Peruvian Andes, a part mystery, part political allegory follows a series of disappearances that involve the Shining Path guerrillas and a local couple who performs Dionysian sacrifices.
The novel tells the story of army corporal Lituma and his deputy Tomas, who have been assigned to treacherous guard duty in an isolated, run-down mining community in the mountains of Peru. The men are homesick and far from enthusiastic about serving as foot soldiers in the Peruvian Army's ongoing war against the Shining Path guerrillas. So, to pass the time, Tomas tells the story of his great love, Mercedes, a troublemaking prostitute who leads him on a precarious, cross-country adventure. But life in the Andes soon turns eventful, too. Lituma and Tomas find themselves caught up in a series of mysterious disappearances involving the Shining Path and, soon enough, a local couple performing cannibalistic sacrifices with a strange similarity to the Dionysian rituals of ancient Greece.
Part detective novel and part political allegory, Death in the Andes offers a panoramic view of Peru today - not only of the current political violence and social upheaval but also of the country's roots in Indian culture and pre-Hispanic mysticism.
Set in an isolated, rundown community in the Peruvian Andes, a part mystery, part political allegory follows a series of disappearances that involve the Shining Path guerrillas and a local couple who performs Dionysian sacrifices.
The novel tells the story of army corporal Lituma and his deputy Tomas, who have been assigned to treacherous guard duty in an isolated, run-down mining community in the mountains of Peru. The men are homesick and far from enthusiastic about serving as foot soldiers in the Peruvian Army's ongoing war against the Shining Path guerrillas. So, to pass the time, Tomas tells the story of his great love, Mercedes, a troublemaking prostitute who leads him on a precarious, cross-country adventure. But life in the Andes soon turns eventful, too. Lituma and Tomas find themselves caught up in a series of mysterious disappearances involving the Shining Path and, soon enough, a local couple performing cannibalistic sacrifices with a strange similarity to the Dionysian rituals of ancient Greece.
Part detective novel and part political allegory, Death in the Andes offers a panoramic view of Peru today - not only of the current political violence and social upheaval but also of the country's roots in Indian culture and pre-Hispanic mysticism.
Title availability
About
Contributors
Details
Publication
- New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996.
Opinion
More from the community
Community lists featuring this title
There are no community lists featuring this title
Community contributions
There are no quotations from this title
There are no quotations from this title
From the community