In a story that reads deceptively smoothly, we see how easily a dumb, unthinkable plan can become reality. Melchor and Hughes were shortlisted for the 2020 IBP for the magnificent Hurricane Season, and Paradais can be seen as a slimmed-down, junior version of that book, a work still full of bite. Who could have known he really meant what he said?Īs you can guess, it’s a plan that involves more than a spot of law-breaking, and long before it’s done, Polo will have second thoughts about his part in the affair. That’s why Polo played along, that’s why he nodded away to everything that fatty said, as insane, as preposterous as it was how the fuck was he supposed to know what the crazy prick would be capable of doing in order to bone the that bitch.
What if there was a way for their dreams to become reality, for Franco to see his beloved Señora Marián naked, and for Polo to move on with his life? While hiding out drinking and smoking, and pretending to listen to stories about Franco’s obsession with his beautiful neighbour, Polo dreams of making it out of there, away from his crappy job, his domineering mother and his seductive, manipulative cousin.Īs the two youths drink and talk rubbish, a half-baked plan, a drunken boast, suddenly takes on a life of its own. He’s a young gardener who hates his job, only made bearable by the clandestine drinking sessions he has with Franco, a young inhabitant of the compound. In Paradais, a gated community for the rich outside a provincial Mexican town, we make the acquaintance of Polo. (my review copy is the Australian edition, courtesy of Text Publishing) – Fitzcarraldo Editions, translated by Sophie Hughes So what happens when those excluded from paradise decide that enough’s enough, and it’s time to get their fair share of the good things in life? You see, we’re off to Mexico, to a luxury gated community, but for anyone dreaming of five-star accommodation, I’m afraid we’re on the wrong side of those gates. On our most recent trip, the International Booker Prize longlist magical mystery tour had us enjoying a leisurely journey around Indonesia, but today brings us back to reality with a bump.
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