One could argue this massive novel is not strictly speaking a genre title, even though one its central premises is an act of revenge nurtured for years against a drug trafficker guilty of unmentionable crimes, but it is also a powerful example of what one could term ‘existential noir’. Gamboa returns to the topsy-turvy and dangerous world of NIGHT PRAYERS and brings back two of its more enigmatic characters, The Consul and Juana whose unrequited love story forms a background to a tale of religious fanaticism, terrorism, pain, the redemption of poetry and transcendence. This is South American writing at its most visionary and packs a mean punch, alongside action that spans the globe. Heavyweight both physically and metaphorically, in the footsteps of Roberto Bolano, but a rewarding if at times heavily digressive prose that seduces, shocks and takes the reader on a unique journey, featuring a gallery of larger than life characters from all walks of life in all their splendour and fallibilities. Treat yourself.
