There is an awe-inspiring humanity which is portrayed in this story, a humanity which maintains depth and dignity in the midst of incredible poverty. I find myself inexplicably concerned with the destinies of the main characters as the novel reaches its sad yet hopeful conclusion.
This is not light summer reading, but it is profound reading, a story which stirs the soul. For all its misery (and there is an abundance of it,) it inspires hope. There is hope in recognizing the invincible beauty, courage and goodness in the depth of the human person. There is hope when bitterness, despair and hatred do not triumph in the end, but instead, the desire to love and build for the future is the last word.
A good friend obtained a copy of this book at a fair in Vermont, and innocently gave it to me knowing that I love to travel. I saved it for my summer reading, as I tend to go for light reading once the school year has come to an end. I must begin my comments with a note of caution: this book is not for the Conde Nast traveler. Also, there is an Albergo where Justin spends a fair amount of time in this novel, but you will not ever find it mentioned in Travel and Leisure.
Well, honestly, I am mostly a European traveler and I have never been anywhere south of the Texas border, so I thought to myself, this will be a pleasant introduction to Latin American culture. Maybe this will give me some travel ideas to implement…So I began the novel, lured by Justin’s desire to escape from the routine, only to be abruptly entangled in a web of misery and sorrow. Perhaps the novel would be more aptly titled—Lago de Lagrimas, or Valley of Tears, if that title has not been used by somebody else.
Without giving away the plot, which is captivating, I must admit that for all the pain the author has opened my eyes to, it is genuinely satisfying to read. I have become friends with the main characters, and I find myself inexplicably concerned with their destinies as the novel reaches its sad yet hopeful conclusion. There is an awe-inspiring humanity which is portrayed in this story, a humanity which maintains depth and dignity in the midst of incredible poverty. So often I have passed by beggars and homeless people in New York City, never thinking much about their inner life, ignoring the fact that there could be a real person with thoughts, dreams, and feelings underneath the disguise of tattered clothing or an unshaved face. So often I become caught up with modern America’s medicinal standards—brush your teeth, take a shower every day, take your vitamins—that the desperate struggle for food, clothing and shelter that is the driving force of an uncountable number of human beings’ daily life on this planet—is shocking and disturbing to me. A real accomplishment of this novelist is that I have not turned away from it, as I might a homeless beggar on the streets of New York, but rather immersed myself in his emotions and conflicts. But they are my friends now, characters like Indito and Justin; I can no longer ignore them.
There is another dimension to the story which I would also like to point out—the theme of innocent people who are manipulated by corrupt politicians, trapped in a vortex of violence and hatred which does not bring true revolution, but only disappointment and despair. Yet these innocent people, truly oppressed and victimized, deceived by revolutionaries who promise what they cannot ever deliver, maintain their dignity and nobility and goodness through it all. This is not light summer reading, but it is profound reading, a story which stirs the soul. For all its misery (and there is an abundance of it,) it inspires hope. There is hope in recognizing the invincible beauty, courage and goodness in the depth of the human person. There is hope when bitterness, despair and hatred do not triumph in the end, but instead, the desire to love and build for the future is the last word. - M.L.S.