Dancing with the Tiger
Lili Wright. Putnam/Wood, $27 (464p) ISBN 978-0-399-17517-6
Set in Oaxaca, Wright’s (Learning to Float) thrilling debut novel introduces Anna, a woman from the U.S. who, along with several others, pursues the ancient and extremely valuable funerary mask of Montezuma. Seeking to redeem her parents’ research (her father was a discredited art collector), Anna throws herself into the corrupt and dangerous world of their past. She refuses to give up her search, even after she becomes the target of an infamous drug lord. This is not just a tale of filial redemption; it’s a tale of the desire to hide, and to transform into something beyond oneself. “I belong in this place where I do not belong,” Anna thinks. Each flawed character becomes linked in their desperation for a prize that promises another chance at love, pride, piety, or survival. “With that mask I could look God in the face,” the drug lord announces. A deep look at what it means to be masked, Wright’s novel is a worthwhile read for anyone in search of an authentically flawed heroine who learns to remove her own mask in a world where remaining hidden feels like the safest option. Agent Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Literary Agency. (July)
Details
Reviewed on: 05/30/2016
Genre: Fiction
Compact Disc - 978-1-5200-1712-9
MP3 CD - 978-1-5200-1716-7
Paperback - 464 pages - 978-1-84655-996-9
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-5200-1717-4