The Cruz Chronicle

Henry H. Roth. Rutgers University Press, $12.25 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-8135-1750-6

Raymondo Cruz, killed robbing a bank with a water pistol, leaves behind three sons; he watches over them in spirit form, appearing only to his eldest, Victor. ``Marquezian in flavor and . . . distinctly American-urban in spirit,'' said PW. ``Veteran short story writer Roth tells the brothers' improbable adventures with a gritty, lively realism.'' (Aug.)

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