The Feast of the Goat

A stunning portrayal of the cruel, dictatorial regime of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. As the assassination unfolds in all its glory, it's the fear, the subtle political maneuvers, and the strained social fabric of Latin America that catch the eye.

Interesting (fictional?) history of the fall of the Trujilla regime in the Dominican Republic.

I know almost nothing about the Dominican Republic, but that had no effect on my enjoyment of this book. It sucked me in and was interesting, terrifying, sad, thrilling and thought-provoking all at the same time. The way that the story was crafted with different threads and characters from different times really hit me towards the end. It made me see how the activities of the regime and the country’s “progress” affected a wide variety of people in ways that were in some ways unique and in some ways universal. Who are the heroes in this story? I want to read all of this author’s books now. This is the second one I’ve read that was fantastic.

I'm sorry I missed our book group discussion of this one. This is the third book that I've read about the Trujillo reign in the Dominican Republic. And I am throughly convinced that he was a nasty one. The story of our main character is told in flash-backs that quickly turn into present day situations; so quickly that sometimes you can get a little queasy. Although the queasiness might be more of the result of the despicable Trujillo and his prostate problems and his sexual issues.

I ended up really loving this book, though the beginning was a lot to get used to. Mario Vargas Llosa seems to be able to slow down and speed up time with his words -- each chapter had a different tempo. His characterization was not only in what was said, but throughout all the paragraphs that surround the movement of each character in a chapter. There's a lot of unspoken complexity, especially for Trujillo and Urania, that manifests in scenes that they aren't even present it.