This was my first introduction to Louis de Berniers and I loved it. The humor is dry and the language is matter of fact:
“The coffee table was held together by none other than gravity” “She did not like to be vomited upon”
And for a short book there’s a lot going on. As with other books by De Berniers it can be tricky to follow all the sub-plots, but generally he does really well to intertwine them. I found the ‘Gran Condomble’ chapter confusing. But I think that was intentional.
I liked the magical realism too. Similar to A Hundred Years of Solitude where it all seems realistic then somebody floats off into the sky.
Few characters of note:
Madame Rosa
- Runs a whorehouse
- Velvet Rosa = Dionisios choice, emotionally close
- Massive brawl in her brothel later in book
Dionisio Vivo
- Writes the coca letters
- Philosophy lecturer
- Dead people keep being left at his door
- El brujo
- Unkillable
- Risen from the dead 2 times
- Enlarges himself when enraged (attempted mugging with Anica)
- Strong moral compass
- Tried to kill himself - has the scars
Anica
- loves Dionisio
- Dad supplies arms to jerarca
- She is warned to leave Dionisio by jerarca
- Is killed violently by jerarca henchman
Jerarca
- Fat man
- Has anica killed
- Kills lazaro in “the firedance”
- Tries to bribe Dionisio to stop writing letters - Jerez (dionisios friend) finds the money and runs off. Dionisio never realises
The Condomble
- How laticia aragon was born
Las locas
- Go to ipasueno to have a child of Dionisio
- Create a favela together on edge of town
- Dionisio later impregnates 29 of them
Lazaro
- Leopracy due to killing dolphins for their aphrodisiac cream
- Dies in a petrol firestorm torture
Laticia Aragon
- Finds Dionisio after
Aurelio
- Brujo of Cochadebajo de los gatos
- Gives Dionisio 2 black jaguars
- Tried to cure lazaro