Albina y los Hombres-Perro = Albina and the Dog-Men

This surreal fantasy, set in Chile and Peru, is about a woman who turns into a dog. Chilean author Jodorowsky, also author of Donde mejor canta un p jaro (Where a Bird Sings Its Best, see p. 25), uses his fertile imagination to present a mixed bag of historical and imaginary characters, such as the Inca King, Atahaulpa, and a cast of half-humans and half-beasts that possess magical powers. The protagonists are two women: Albina and La Jaiba (the crab), who rescues Albina from a group of men who were persecuting her. La Jaiba teaches Spanish to the incomprehensible Albina, who speaks an indigenous tongue, and the two women develop a mother-daughter-like bond. While vacationing in Iquique, a small beach town in Chile, they see a man, Dellarosa, trying to commit suicide in the sea.This encounter marks the starting point of the novel's bestial plot. Albina begins behaving like a dog in heat, and her sensuality transforms men into dogs that frantically want to possess her. This short novel has various sexually explicit scenes, but they are very well crafted. Strongly recommended for large public libraries and bookstores serving all communites. Ketty Rodriguez, Sch. of Lib. and Information Science, Univ. of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg