Un Mundo Raro = A Strange World

Prize-winning Chilean author Serrano (Para que no me olvides/So You Won't Forget Me, Alfaguara, 1993), now living in Mexico, has written two brief but intriguing stories based on recent Mexican news events. Both stories address the conflict between personal desires and political aims. The first, ""El amor en el tiempo de los dinosaurios"" (""Love in the Time of the Dinosaurs""), is based on the 2000 elections in which the longtime ruling PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) loses the presidency. The fate of the minor election official Pedro Angel Reyes, who dreams of helping his party win in order to get a promotion and a better girlfriend, is at stake, though things don't go exactly as planned. In the second story, ""Sin Dios ni ley"" (""Without God or Law""), a wealthy mother of a teenage daughter confronts her ambiguous feelings about the case of Paulina, a young girl forced to carry her pregnancy to term after being raped. The issues of election surprises and abortion debates are particularly timely for U.S. readers. The large-print format will be appreciated by older or visually impaired readers. This is a hot commodity in Mexico already; recommended for public libraries and booksellers. Lisa M. Reynolds, Bloomington, IN